The Joy-Hearted Princess Hyuga and the Shy Jinchūriki
by Lion C. Simmonds
Summary: Throughout watching the Naruto series one thing came into my mind. What would happen if I take Naruto's and Hinata's personalities and swap them? We'll find out in this story. There will definetly be NaruXHina and SasuXSaku. Sasuke is not leaving the village in this story neither is he going to get the Curse Mark.
1. Hinata the Goofball and Naruto the Shy 1

**_Author's Note: Hello every reader it is me Lion C. Simmonds. Here is my new story that I'm making for the fun of it. Throughout watching the Naruto series one thing came into my mind. What would happen if I take Naruto's and Hinata's personalities and swap them? Let's find out. I don't own anyone, they belong to Naruto. So sit down, relax, and enjoy. _**

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**Hinata the Goofball and Naruto the Shy One**

13 years ago, a monster named the Nine-Tailed Fox went on a monstrous rampage on a course for the Leaf Village. Warriors of the Leaf fought the beast to the best of their ability. The fourth Hokage of the Leaf fought and defeated the nine-tailed, but the only way to truly stop the demon is to seal it inside an infant child.

We now go to the present day in the Leaf Village where a chase is being conducted. A dark blue haired girl was running away from 4 ninja guards. She wore a cream-colored hooded-jacket with a fire symbol on the upper right and left sleeves and fur around the cuffs and hem, with navy blue pants.

"Lady Hinata, come back here this instant," a ninja guard shouted.

"Ha-ha, you can't catch me and I told you, it's just Hinata," the girl named Hinata said childishly.

The chase continues as they pass the tower of the Third Hokage.

**In the Third Hokage's Office…**

"Lord Hokage, this is an emergency," a guard said.

"What is the emergency," the Third Hokage said turning from his painting a little annoyed, "And don't tell me it's Hinata again."

"It is Lady Hinata sir; she's painted graffiti all over the Hokage faces."

The Third Hokage merely lowered his hat in humiliation.

_"This again, I sometimes wonder how I keep forgiving her for all the pranks she usually do. Probably because her father and I are such good friends,"_ the Third Hokage thought to himself.

**Outside…**

The 4 guards search around to find Hinata since they lost sight of her.

"She must have gone this way then," a guard says.

After the all left, Hinata appears as she was disguise as a wall.

"He he, I finally lost them," she said laughing.

Then a man approached her from behind.

"Oh really, and just who were you running away from," the man asked.

Hinata turned around to see that it was Iruka Sensei who had an angry look on his face.

"Iruka Sensei," Hinata said in surprise, "How did you find me?"

"That doesn't matter Hinata. What does matter is why you aren't at the academy?"

"Uhh…No reason; just taking a little stroll."

Hinata was sweating, whistling, and wasn't looking Iruka in the eye. It's obvious that she's awful at lying.

**To the academy…**

"Fess up Hinata, you've gone outside of class too many times just to pull a prank on the village," Iruka said scolding Hinata.

Hinata was all tied up in rope and is pouting.

"Okay, so what if I painted graffiti on a bunch of stone faces. It's not like I killed anyone with paint," she said in a can-do attitude.

Everyone in the classroom chuckled or giggled at Hinata's words as Iruka Sensei only smirked at her remark.

"The Third Hokage ordered me to tell you that you'll have to clean the Hokage faces after school. And since you weren't here then everyone in the class will have to go over review.

Every student groaned lazily since they did this many times.

"Alright everyone, it's time for all of you to perform a Transformation Jutsu. First up is Sakura Haruno."

A girl with bright pink hair, large green eyes, and fair skin stepped forward. She wore a red dress with white circular designs, with short sleeves, with a zipper, tight dark green shorts. Sakura then performed a hand sign.

"Transformation Jutsu," she shouted as she transforms into Iruka Sensei.

"Transforms into me; Good Job Sakura," Iruka says.

"Yes, thank you!"

Then in the void of her mind the Inner Sakura appeared.

_"Cha! I kick butt,"_ Inner Sakura shouted.

"Next, Sasuke Uchiha," Iruka called.

A black spiky haired boy named Sasuke, who wore a navy blue, short-sleeved shirt with a high collar and the Uchiha crest on the back and white arm warmers, along with white shorts stepped, forward. He then performed a hand sign and transformed into Iruka as well.

"Good job Sasuke."

"Humph. Too easy," Sasuke said in a confident tone.

"Next is Naruto Uzumaki"

A boy with blue eyes and blond, spiky hair stepped forward. He wore a an orange tracksuit with blue on the upper shoulders area as well as around the waist, a white swirl with a tassel on the left side, a red swirl on the back, a large white-collar, orange pants, and blue sandals. He also performed hand signs and transformed into Iruka.

"Well done Naruto, despite you always sitting in the corner all the time, you were able to listen well in class. Good job."

Naruto didn't say anything and walked back in line. Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura then notice something wrong with Naruto. He had no emotion in his eyes and he never says anything. Sakura almost wondered who he was since he sat in the corner so much, she barely saw him.

"I wonder what's wrong with that boy," Sakura asks, "He looks kind of sad."

"Next up is Hinata Hyuga," Iruka said.

"Oh yeah! Just watch me because I'm going to knock your socks off," Hinata says as she performed a hand sign, "Transformation Jutsu!"

Hinata then turns into an intimidating ghost scaring Iruka for a few seconds. She then transforms back and laughs at Iruka's face.

"Hahaha, you should see the look on your face," Hinata says holding her sides.

"CUT THE STUPID TRICKS," Iruka shouted, "THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING!

Hinata was still laughing as Iruka calmed down and he and the entire class laughed except Naruto and Sasuke.

"You can be such a pain sometimes Princess," Sasuke said.

Hinata turns around and put her face next to Sasuke in a rival like manner.

"You've got a problem today Mr. Uchiha?"

"Not if you have one Princess Hyuga."

"I told you to stop calling me that," Hinata shouted in an annoyed tone.

For some reason, the Hyuga clan and the Uchiha clan have a strong rivalry. Though both clans can be friends now, they both develop a strong rivalry against each other to be better than the other.

"Okay class, it's about time to go to lunch, but I better not see any fighting between you two, understand," Iruka asked.

"Sure thing Iruka! We may be rivals, but being rivals is what made Sasuke and me friends," Hinata says as she holds Sasuke's neck in a friend like hug.

Hinata then notices Naruto's emotionless eyes again.

_"Man…I feel so bad for him. He must really be a lonely person. I know, I'll invite him to eat with me during lunch,"_ Hinata thought.

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_**Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed that great chapter. Sasuke in this story is going to be an outgoing person if you know what I mean. I'll see you next chapter.**_


	2. Big Jerk Jotaro

_**Author's Note: Hello everyone it's me again giving you another chapter of this story. I was amazed by what I saw when I turned on the computer. When I checked to see how many people saw the first chapter, I was astonished to see that 113 people have read the first chapter, 5 put this story on their favorites list, 3 gave me reviews, and 13 are keeping track of this story and waiting for the next chapter. I…am…absolutely…THANKFUL TO ALL OF YOU! Please enjoy this next chapter and keep the reviews coming at me!**_

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**Big Jerk Jotaro**

**Outside the Academy…**

During lunchtime, Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura are having a conversation. Hinata couldn't help but look at Naruto who was sitting next to a tree alone. He was eating his own lunch but still had those emotionless eyes from before. Hinata then stands up from where she is sitting.

"Hey guys," Hinata says, "Do you see Naruto over there?"

Sasuke and Sakura turns to see Naruto as well.

"Yeah," Sakura says with a sorrowful face, "He looks so lonely."

"He probably just doesn't know how to talk to other people," Sasuke says with a sorrowful face as well.

"Why don't we go over there and eat with him," Hinata asks, "We'll then introduce ourselves and become his friends. You okay with that?"

"That's an awesome idea," Sakura says in excitement, "That was my idea too."

"That was my idea too," Sasuke said a little shocked, "I guess great minds think alike."

Hinata, Sakura, and Sasuke walked to where Naruto was at the tree. Naruto then notices them but still says nothing.

"Hi there," Sakura said waving her hand," I'm Sakura Haruno."

"The name's Sasuke Uchiha. It's nice to meet you," Sasuke says.

"And I'm Hinata Hyubi," Hinata says proudly, "What's your name?"

Naruto mumbled a few words but Hinata, Sakura, and Sasuke were able to hear him.

"I…I'm N…Naruto U…U…Uzumaki," Naruto says in a quiet voice.

"Naruto," Sasuke says with interest, "That's a great name for you."

"Naruto," Hinata says, "Is it alright if we sit with you for lunch?"

"S-Sure."

Hinata, Sakura, and Sasuke sat down in front of Naruto.

"So Naruto," Sakura said getting Naruto's attention, "Why are you sitting here all by yourself?"

"I…I'm j…just l…like that," Naruto says quietly.

"Well, don't you have any friends to talk to," Hinata asks.

"N…No. I don't h…have any f…friends s…so I'm all a…alone."

"Alone," Sasuke says with confusion, "You probably have family don't you?"

"N…No. I never k…knew m…my parents and I'm s…sure that I don't have a…any b…brothers or s…sisters."

This surprises everyone especially Sasuke.

_"My goodness; He's gone through even worse than me,"_ Sasuke thought.

"Well don't worry so much about that," Hinata says, "Even if you never knew your family, as long as you have your friends you'll never be alone. Believe it!"

"Not that stupid catch phrase again," Sasuke says with an unimpressed face.

"Hey, I think that's the best catch phrase in the world thank you very much. And I don't see Sakura complaining about it."

"Not to take sides Hinata, but Sasuke's right. That catch phrase has gotten old and sounds a bit stupid in my opinion," Sakura says.

"What?! You would take sides with you cru-," Before Hinata finished; Sakura covered her mouth hard to prevent her from finishing her statement.

"Don't mind her Naruto," Sakura says waving her hand in embarrassment, "She's a bit of a loud mouth."

"I…Its f…fine, b…besides I don't w…want to be a b…bother to you," Naruto says.

"Don't worry about it Naruto," Hinata says, "You're not a bother to us. We would always like to talk to you if that's okay with you guys.

"Yeah," Sasuke and Sakura said.

"Hey, Uzumaki," a voice shouted.

Hinata, Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto turn to see a raven-haired boy with black eyes. He wore a black outfit with white pants and a red jacket. Only Naruto knows this boy.

"I…It's J…Jotaro."

Jotaro walked up to Naruto giving him a cold look on his face.

"Who's this Naruto," Sakura asks, "A friend of yours?"

"Wh…What is it, J…Jotaro," Naruto asks.

Jotaro pretends to not hear Naruto's response and put his behind his ear.

"I'm sorry, what was that Orphan," Jotaro said mockingly.

_"What's this guy's deal? Is he deaf or something,"_ Sasuke thought.

_"Why is he calling Naruto those names,"_ Sakura thought.

"Wh…What is it, J…Jotaro," Naruto asks again.

But he only got the same response.

"Come on Homeless what was that? Speak up!"

Jotaro without warning kicks dirt and grass on Naruto and his food. Hinata, Sakura, and Sasuke immediately stood up faced Jotaro with anger on their faces.

"Hey! What's the big deal," Sakura asks angrily, "The boy is just having some lunch with us."

"I'd stay out of this if I were you girl," Jotaro said coldly, "Orphan boy and I are just having a fun talk that's all."

Jotaro kicked dirt into Naruto's face again causing Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura's rage to boil.

"Pl…Please J…Jotaro," Naruto says coughing in the dust, "Pl…Please St…Stop that."

"Hahaha! And who's going to stop me?"

Jotaro was hit with a palm strike to the chest from Hinata which causes him to stumble backwards. After he recovered, he saw Hinata with her Byakugan activated and Sasuke in a fighting stance.

"What kind of shinobi bullies a lonely boy like that," Sasuke asks angrily, "I don't think you even deserve to be in the Leaf Villager if you treat people like that."

"I'd stay out of this you two," Jotaro said with a hate consumed face, "It's not wise to get on my bad side. Especially an Uchiha survivor and a Princess of the Head of the Hyubi name."

That did it! Hinata and Sasuke delivered a well made serving of a blow to Jotaro's face that is then seasoned with blood dripping from his mouth and nose. _Tis a perfect delivery of meal, Non?_

As Jotaro was prepared to fight, Iruka Sensai appeared between them. Jotaro tried to push the blame on Hinata and her friends, but Iruka stated that he saw the whole thing and sent Jotaro to his classroom for a discussion. He then thanks Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura for not causing any trouble and left.

Hinata then turns to Naruto who had dirt and grass all over him and his food, but the thing that still disturbs them is Naruto's emotionless eyes.

"I'm so sorry about what happened to your food," Sasuke said.

"How long has that guy been bullying you Naruto," Sakura asks.

"Ever s…since I c…came to the ac…cadamy," Naruto answers quietly.

All three of them were surprised and felt really awful for Naruto.

"I can't believe this has happened all that time…" Sakura says.

"…and we didn't even notice, I'm so sorry Naruto."

"Hey Naruto," Hinata says as she place both her hands on Naruto's shoulders, "Don't you worry anymore, because we'll always be here for you."

Naruto had a little shocked emotion on his face.

"Wh…What," he asked, "Y…You don't h…have to do th…that for m…me."

"We do! Because we're your friends from now on, Believe it!"

That was when they realized that lunch was over. Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura helped Naruto up and accompanied him back to class.

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_**Author's Note: And there you have it! Jotaro is Naruto's bully in this story. I also have plans on putting Hinata, Naruto, and Sasuke on Squad 7, but I need to decide the other teams and that's where you guys come in. I want you to give me some Squad teams for this story. You can shuffle up all the characters as well. I hope that you enjoyed and stay tuned. Again thank you for the reviews from last chapter.**_


	3. The Graduation Exam: Naruto Fails!

_**Author's Note: Hello again and welcome to another chapter. I'll need to explain this to you, don't I. Sasuke and Sakura are totally going to act differently than in the anime in this story. Both of them are going to treat Naruto like their little brother and help him when he needs it. Again, I can't thank you guys enough for the reviews you keep posting. Please keep those coming and enjoy.**_

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**The Graduation Exams: Naruto Fails?!**

**At the Hokage stone faces after school…**

Hinata lets out a loud tiresome groan as she washes the graffiti she drew of the Hokage stone faces.

"Do I really have to wash these stupid faces," Hinata asks lazily.

"Yes you do," Iruka says a little annoyed by Hinata's attitude, "Don't forget that you're the one who drew this on the Hokage faces. What's worse is that I have to actually watch you and waste a lot of my time!"

Hinata only let out a louder groan at Iruka's words. Iruka calmed down a bit and a thought came to his head.

"Hey Hinata."

"Yes, Iruka Sensei," Hinata responds.

"If you're able to hurry up with the cleaning, I can take you out for some ramen."

Hinata then shot up and looked at Iruka with a goofy smile.

"Alright, now you're talking my language. Just watch, I'm going to clean these faces in no time," Hinata shouts.

**An hour later…**

Hinata and Iruka are having ramen at the Ramen Noodle Shop. She and Iruka orders what they usually has which is chicken noodle soup.

"Hey Hinata," Iruka says getting Hinata's attention, "I'd like to thank you, Sasuke, and Sakura again for helping out Naruto."

"Yeah, I can't believe that jerk Jotaro bullied him ever since Naruto came to the academy," Hinata says with an angry face.

"I'm sorry that you had to deal with it though, by the time my lunch watching shift comes, Jotaro is already done messing with Naruto," Iruka says with a sorry face.

"But why does he keep bullying Naruto like that, he didn't do anything bad to him did he?"

"No, I don't think Naruto did anything. But Jotaro isn't the only person who treats Naruto like that."

"Don't tell me that…"

"Yes, nearly everyone in the village treated him like dirt, from when he was a child to today."

Hinata slams her fist onto the table in anger.

"BUT WHY?! WHY WOULD EVERYONE HATE HIM SO MUCH?! HE'S A NICE BOY WHO WANTS TO BE A GREAT SHINOBI AND HASN'T DONE ANYTHING BAD TO ANYONE!"

"Unfortunately, I don't know either and that's what makes me mad. That I can't find out the source of the hatred. The best we can do for Naruto is protect him from anymore rage."

Iruka then got up from his seat and paid for both of their noodles and starts to leave. Hinata then stood from her seat.

"Don't worry Iruka, because Sasuke, Sakura, and I will help Naruto out, Believe it!"

"I appreciate it Hinata, be sure to get some sleep. You have your graduation exams tomorrow."

**Tomorrow at the academy…**

Hinata was all psyched for the Graduation Exams. Once she passes, she becomes an honorary Leaf Village Shinobi. But she wonders where Naruto was. She hasn't seen him since yesterday. Sasuke and Sakura also had worried looks on their faces.

"I wonder where Naruto is," Sakura asks staring at the entrance, "I hope he didn't skip just because he was nervous about the exam."

"Don't worry guys," Hinata says getting out of her seat, "I'll go and find him."

That was when Naruto came through the door with his slightly confident face today. Hinata, Sakura, and Sasuke were relieved to see him with that face.

"Hey Naruto," Sasuke shouted, "You had us worrying that you wouldn't make it."

"S…Sorry about th…that, guys. S…Something just c…came up th…that's all," Naruto says weakly.

"Really," Hinata says with confusion, "Like what?"

"W…Well…" Before Naruto could finish, Iruka called him to take his graduation test. Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura wished him good luck.

**40 minutes later…**

Everyone in the class is on edge ever since Naruto entered the exam room especially Hinata, who was pacing in front of the door.

"Ooooh I getting so nervous, I just can't wait until Naruto comes out with a smile on his face!"

"Calm down Princess," Sasuke says, "It's not like he's failing or anything."

"Sasuke! Don't jinx Naruto! And I told you to stop calling me that!"

That was when Naruto came out of the exam room. Hinata and her two friends were so happy to see him but to their major disappointment, he didn't have the Leaf Village Ninja headband, meaning that Naruto didn't pass the exam.

"N-Naruto," Sakura says with sadness in her heart, "I'm so sorry."

"I…It's fine S…Sakura. I just n…need some t…time alone," Naruto says as he walks off.

But Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura saw the tears in his eyes as he went out the door.

"Naruto…," Hinata says with full sadness for Naruto.

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_**Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed that and I feel so sorry for Naruto right now. I'll be gone all day on Friday so don't expect the next chapter until Saturday and it's going to be long. Keep posting your reviews and keep cool because that's the way to rule.**_


	4. The Truth of Naruto

**_Author's Note: Sorry I couldn't get this out sooner but my internet went out and I couldn't post this chapter until now. Wow! 726 views and we're only at the fourth chapter?! Whew! I need a fan here because I get dizzy when I'm astonished. Anyways guys, I don't own anything so enjoy. Can someone get me a water bottle?_**

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**The Truth of Naruto**

After Naruto exited the classroom, Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura all had sad looks on their faces even when the received their honorary Leaf Shinobi headbands.

"Congratulations to all of you, you are now officially Leaf Village Shinobi," Iruka says, "Now tomorrow, I want all of you to be here at 8 'o clock to be assigned to your Sensai and fellow shinobi comrades. Dismissed."

Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura are having a discussion.

"I can't believe Naruto is the only person who failed the exam," Sasuke said.

"I just don't know why this would happen to him since he was so confident in himself," Sakura says.

That was when Iruka notices that they were the only ones in the class.

"Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura. What are all of you staying for," Iruka asks, "You're dismissed."

"Iruka, we need to talk to you about Naruto," Hinata says.

Iruka Sensei had a look of sadness on his face. Then a white haired man with the same clothes as Iruka walked out of the room.

"See ya tomorrow Iruka," the man said waving at Iruka.

"You too Mizuki," Iruka said to the man named Mizuki.

After Mizuki left, Iruka turned back to Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura who now had serious looks on their faces.

"Now I know what you're going to ask. You're wondering why I failed Naruto right?"

"Yes, Naruto is a great student who has listened well in class," Sakura says.

"And he told us that he wanted to work as hard as he could to be a proud Leaf Shinobi," Sasuke continued.

"So why did you fail him sensei," Hinata asks.

"Let me explain guys and you'll understand," Iruka says.

**(Flashback)**

"Alright Naruto, show us your Shadow Clone Jutsu technique," Iruka says to Naruto.

"O…Okay," Naruto says as he performs a handsign, "Sh…Shadow Clone Jutsu."

Naruto attempts to create a visual copy of himself, but it turns out to be an awful one. The clone was pale, could barely stand, and doesn't come close to creating a manageable distraction.

"I'm sorry to tell you this Naruto but I'm afraid that you…"

"Wait Iruka, can't you just let Naruto graduate," Mizuki asked, "He has worked as hard as everyone else and he really wants to be a Leaf Shinobi."

"I'm sorry Mizuki," Iruka says with a sorry face, "but Naruto is required to create an exact replica of himself to pass just like everyone else was, and look at it. Unfortunately, it's pathetic. I'll have to fail him."

Naruto only put a look of immense sadness.

**(End Flashback)**

"And that's why I failed him," Iruka finished.

"But still, Mizuki Sensai was right. You should have let him passed," Sakura said.

"Guys, think rationally for a second. All three of you used the same Jutsu Naruto did, and you all performed it well. It wouldn't be fair to Naruto if I just let him slide in as a Shinobi."

As much as they hated to admit, Iruka Sensai was right. If Naruto couldn't perform the Shadow Clone correctly then he couldn't be a ninja yet. They thank Iruka for the explanation and left to comfort their friend.

"I guess all we can do now is make Naruto feel better right," Hinata asks.

"I'm afraid that's all we can do," Sasuke said.

**Outside the Academy…**

Naruto was sitting alone on a swingset with emotionless eyes as the graduates celebrate their graduations. Two women were giving him cold looks from a distance.

"Is that him over there," a woman said.

"Yeah that's him, the-,"

"Shhh, we're not supposed to talk about it."

"I heard that he was the only one who failed."

"That's good. Wouldn't it be awful if someone like him were to become a ninja?"

Naruto was lost in his own thoughts when Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura arrive to comfort him.

"Naruto…I'm so sorry that you failed. You did your best too," Sakura says.

"But cheer up. I'm sure that you'll pass next time," Sasuke says.

"Th…Thanks guys, f…for wishing me g…good luck. N…No one has e…ever done th…that for me," Naruto said.

"And we'll be waiting for you once you become a Leaf Shinobi, Believe it," Hinata says.

That was when a familiar voice was heard.

"Ha, like that will ever happen," the voice said.

Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura turn around to see that the voice belonged to Jotaro who has his Leaf Shinobi headband.

"I'm not surprised that Homeless boy here failed the exam. He has no right to be a Leaf Ninja," Jotaro said giving Naruto a cold look.

"Shut up Jotaro! Naruto just messed up during his exam! Don't start judging people by their grades," Sasuke said angrily.

"Yeah! Naruto's our friend! If you call him any names then you'll have to deal with us," Sakura says angrily.

"Hahaha, Do you guys really know Orphan boy that well?! Please, if you knew who he really is then you would stay away from him too," Jotaro says, "Uzumaki is nothing but a demon child to begin with from his baby years to even now."

Sakura and Sasuke turn around to see Naruto running away with tears in his eyes. He was hurt by all the things Jotaro said.

"Naruto," Sakura shouted trying to help him.

But her voice fell deaf to his ears. Jotaro was still laughing at him.

"You see? Even now he acts like nothing but a crybaby. How can someone like that become a Shinobi," he said still laughing.

Jotaro was hit in the face hard by a palm strike from Hinata. After he recovered with a bloody nose, he saw that a purple aura surrounded Hinata causing everyone to back away. She was boiling with pure rage.

"SHUT UP YOU JERK," Hinata shouted with rage and activating her Byakugan, "WHO WE WERE OR WHAT WE DID IN THE PAST HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHO WE ARE NOW! IF YOU SO MUCH AS BREATHE ABOUT NARUTO AGAIN I'LL KICK YOUR TEETH IN!"

That was when an immense wind blew causing Hinata to calm down. Behind the wind was none other than the Third Hokage himself. Everyone immediately bowed down in respect.

**With Naruto…**

Naruto was alone on a rooftop still lost in his thoughts.

"Maybe Jotaro is right," Naruto thought, "Maybe I'm not good enough to be a Shinobi."

That was when a figured appeared in front of him, it was Mizuki Sensai.

"M…Mizuki S…Sensai," Naruto says, "Wh…What are you d…doing here?"

"I'm sorry that you didn't pass Naruto. You had every right to be a Leaf Shinobi," Mizuki says as he sat down with Naruto, "I guess I'll just have to tell you the secret."

Naruto turns his head and gave Mizuki a confused look.

"S…Secret? Wh…What secret?"

**Nighttime at Hinata's house…**

Hinata is lying at her bed remembering the words that the Third Hokage told her.

**(Flashback)**

"Everyone please clear the area," the Third Hokage said, "I wish to speak to Miss Hinata Hyuga alone."

Every villager left the academy area. Sasuke and Sakura wanted to stay but Hinata told them otherwise.

"I see that you've become an honorary Leaf Village Shinobi," the Third Hokage said to Hinata, "I'm also aware that Naruto, unfortunately, failed his exam."

"Yeah old man," Hinata says, "And that jerk Jotaro said unbearable things about him and just the thought about it makes me want to break his entire body."

Hinata and the Third Hokage have a very friendly relationship with each other. The Third Hokage doesn't mind if Hinata calls him an old man.

"I see that you, Sasuke, and Sakura share a bond with Naruto and want to protect him. Tell me why the three of you a so kind to the boy," the Third Hokage says.

"Naruto, in my heart, is the nicest boy I've ever met, yet he is constantly bullied by Jotaro.

"That's right, Jotaro's words can make anyone hate him, but he is right about one thing."

"Huh, What's that?"

"There is something that you don't know about Naruto. I would tell you about it, but after an incident I made a law stating that no one including myself is allowed to speak of it."

"But how am I going to help Naruto if this secret stays hidden by that law?"

"I'm sorry, but we can only talk about it if Naruto finds out about it himself. All you can do now is to help your friend before something horrible happens to him."

After that the Third Hokage disappeared leaving Hinata confused.

**(End Flashback)**

_"Just what is it that makes everyone hate Naruto so much,"_ Hinata thinks clinching her fists.

**Meanwhile in Iruka's house…**

There was a loud knock on Iruka's front door. When he opened the door, he finds Mizuki panting.

"Mizuki, what's wrong," Iruka asks.

"Iruka…you need…to come…quickly," Mizuki says catching his breath, "Its Naruto. He snuck into the Hokage tower and stole one of the sacred scrolls!"

"He did what?!"

**With the Hokage…**

"Do you all understand the situation," the Hokage says briefing the guards, "Bring Naruto back here at once."

"Yes sir," the guards shouted as they disappeared.

**With Iruka…**

Iruka was searching the village trying to find Naruto.

"_This is bad. I know that he failed the exam so why steal the scroll_," He thought, "_Not only that; no one but the high ranked Chunin and the Hokage know the location of the scrolls so how did Naruto know where to look_?"

**With Hinata…**

Hinata was walking through the woods since she wanted to walk off some of her anger when she hears the sounds of someone performing a Jutsu. She activated her Byakugan and senses Naruto's presence. She arrives to Naruto's location to see that there was a scroll in front of him. Naruto was panting really hard.

"Naruto? What are you doing here," Hinata asks with her Byakugan still active.

"H…Hinata, I've b…been pr…practicing out here so I can b…become a Sh…Shinobi," Naruto explains while confusing Hinata.

"What do you mean Naruto? You only need to pass the exam to become a Shinobi."

Hinata then notices the sacred scroll yet she didn't know what it was.

"Where did you get that scroll?"

"F…From the H…Hokage Tower. M…Mizuki Sensai told me if I l…learn a new J…Jutsu from th…this scroll, then I'll pass. It's an e…extra credit as…assignment."

"Mizuki Sensai," Hinata suddenly realized, "Naruto! There is no extra credit otherwise I would have known about it!"

Naruto put on a confused face.

"Wh…What do you m…mean?"

Hinata then sensed dozens of shuriken being thrown at them from behind.

"Naruto watch out!"

Hinata pushes Naruto out of the way while she gets pinned by the shuriken. One of them stabbed Hinata in the left leg. Hinata and Naruto look at the direction the shuriken came from and saw Mizuki with a large shuriken and an evil grin.

"M...Mizuki Sensei? Wh...What are you doing," Naruto asks.

"Well Well, I didn't expect to see you here Lady Hinata," Mizuki says giving Naruto a cold look, "You shouldn't get involved with the demon boy there. His existence will only cause you trouble."

"Don't talk about Naruto like that Mizuki! He's my friend and no one messes with him while I'm around."

Mizuki only laughed at Hinata's words.

"You don't even know the boy like the Leaf Villagers do, Miss Hyuga. The question must be in your mind now," Mizuki says closing his eyes, "Why Naruto is constantly bullied and called a freak of nature."

"Wait isn't it against the law to tell him about it?!"

"A…About wh…what Hinata," Naruto asks.

"Well since both of you are going to die, I probably should spill the beans," Mizuki says, "Naruto Uzumaki, you hold the Nine-Tailed Fox within you."

Naruto and Hinata's eyes widened with surprise. Both of them had had heard that the fox had destroyed the village until the Fourth Hokage stopped it. Hinata had no idea that the demon was put inside of her friend.

"That's why the villagers hate you, because _you_ killed their friends and family, including your beloved sensei's parents."

Naruto began crying over the thought of killing innocent people. Hinata begins taking the shuriken that pinned her down.

"Naruto! Take the scroll and get out of here," Hinata says taking out the shuriken in her leg, "I'll hold him off for you."

Mizuki gave an evil smirk.

"Like I'll let you get away with the powers of the scroll," he says readying a giant shuriken, "Die Demon boy!"

Mizuki threw the giant shuriken at Naruto. Naruto tries to run away but he trips and could only waited to be hit. Though the sound of impact was heard, Naruto was not hurt. He turns to see that Hinata shielded him from the strike. Her back had the giant shuriken pressed on it and it was bleeding. Naruto had a look of confusion and horror in his eyes.

"H…Hinata! Wh…Why," Naruto says as Hinata's tears fell on his face.

"I'm so sorry Naruto. If only I had known about this, I would have been there sooner to protect you from the villager's hatred. I will tell you this; You didn't kill anyone," Hinata says shocking Naruto, "Throughout the days I spent with you, you've shown me that you're a kind person with a good heart, and there's nothing anyone can say to change my mind."

Mizuki only laughed at Hinata's remarks.

"Oh please! Hinata's only trying to make you feel better so she can get the scroll," Mizuki says preparing another giant shuriken, "You'll never know the true meaning of friendship demon!"

Mizuki throws the giant shuriken at Hinata and Naruto only to have it caught by Iruka Sensei.

"I…Iruka S…Sensai," Naruto says.

"Naruto. Hinata. Are you two alright," Iruka asks with concern.

"Y…Yeah. I'm alright, b…but H…Hinata…"

"Don't…worry…Naruto. I'll…be…okay," Hinata says before she passes out due to blood loss.

Iruka then takes the giant shuriken out of Hinata's back and laid her in Naruto's arms.

"Naruto. Take the scroll and Hinata and get back to the village quickly."

"B…But Iruka S…Sensai. Y…You can't tr…trust me anymore. I killed your p…parents."

"I heard everything Naruto. You didn't kill anyone during the Nine Tailed Fox attack and besides I too was alone yet no one even cared about that. You should thank Hinata since she sacrificed everything for you. Now get going!"

Naruto nodded and held Hinata in his arms and the scroll on his back and left Iruka to face Mizuki.

**5 minutes later…**

Naruto was now sitting in a forest clearing, far away the clearing he was in earlier. The weight of the scroll and Hinata, along with all the training that he did, left Naruto unable to travel very far. He decided to wait for his sensei to find him.

Naruto could not believe the situation that he was in. Mizuki-sensei had lied to him about an extra credit assignment so that he could finish him off. Also, he had put Iruka-sensei and Hinata in terrible danger, and had no idea if the two were okay. Two ideas went through Naruto's mind on what he did next. Either he could stay there and wait for Iruka, or Mizuki, to catch up to him, or he could go and get some help, leaving the scroll and Hinata unguarded.

Before Naruto could make a decision, Iruka-sensei came into the clearing. He looked at Naruto and smiled.

"Good, Mizuki hasn't found you yet. Come on, give me the scroll and then we can find some help."

Naruto stayed seated on the scroll. Something did not add up. The first thing that seemed odd was that Iruka looked completely healthy, as if he didn't fight at all. The other thing was that he wasn't concerned for Hinata. Naruto decided to test if it was really Iruka and threw a kunai knife at him. The Iruka imposter dodged and then smirked.

"Looks like you're not as stupid as I thought, 'Demon Brat'. Doesn't matter, I'm still going to kill you," Mizuki said as he got out of the Iruka disguise.

He prepared to throw a large shuriken at the blond boy. Thoughts filled Naruto's head from putting Iruka and Hinata in danger to the fact that a demon lives inside of him. He can't stand it, being treated like a weakling. All he wants is to become strong so people will accept him or at least not hate him.

"That's it," Naruto shouts surprising Mizuki.

Naruto could never say anything clearly. Some spark must have been made inside him.

"I'm not going to stand around and watch my friends get hurt anymore," Naruto says as he prepares a Jutsu, "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

50 Naruto clones surrounded Mizuki shocking him. All of them rushed at him and only the sounds of screaming and beatings were heard.

**With Iruka…**

Iruka was rushing after Mizuki since he disappeared after Naruto and Hinata.

"I can't believe Mizuki became so fast. I just hope he hasn't done anything to them."

Iruka finally reached a tree that had the scroll and Hinata resting on it. Iruka looked past the tree seeing a clearing with two figures sprawled across the ground, unconscious. Iruka approached the two figures and realized that it was Naruto and Mizuki. He reached Naruto's body first with fear on his face. He gave a sigh of relief when he noticed that Naruto had passed out due to an overuse of chakra. He then turned his attention to Mizuki who looked as if he was hit by a car, truck, train, boat, and plane.

"It serves you right, you traitor," Iruka spat at his former friend and comrade.

Naruto and Hinata, then, starred to stir and Iruka focused his attention to his student. He turned to see the blond boy and the Hyuga sitting up and rubbing their faces.

"Looks like you can put up a decent fight."

Naruto turned around to see his Chūnin instructor and Hyuga friend smiling at him. Naruto quickly scrambled to his feet and ran behind a tree, hiding from his sensei. Iruka and Hinata gave Naruto a half amused, half confused smile as he walked towards the tree.

"What's the problem," Hinata asks slightly tired.

Naruto looked down as he clung to the tree he was hiding behind.

"W-why are you being nice to me, Iruka sensei, when I k-killed your parents?"

Iruka gave Naruto a confused look, not knowing what he was talking about. Naruto started crying and shocking as he struggled to continue.

"Mizuki sensei told me that I am the Nine-Tailed Fox. He said that the entire village hated me because I killed their friends and family. I'm so sorry that I did all those things."

Iruka looked at his students with a frown. Hearing Naruto apologize for something that he didn't do was too much for Iruka to bear. He put his arm on Naruto's shoulder to comfort Naruto. Naruto's crying turned to silent sob and his shaking died down. He looked up at his sensei with a somber look.

"I told you Naruto, you're not the Nine-Tailed Fox." Hinata says.

"You carry the great burden of containing the feral demon," Iruka says, "The people of this village hate you because they don't understand that you have saved them, not hurt them. The Fourth Hokage himself declared you a hero for holding the spirit of the fox within yourself. You are the hero of the Hidden Leaf Village, Naruto Uzumaki, not the destroyer."

"But why," Naruto asked, "Why are you telling me this now?"

"It was a law set by the Third Hokage. No village was allowed to talk about the Nine-Tailed Fox of harm the holder in any way. The only time this law can be ignored is if the holder, you, decided to talk about it. You were not supposed to find out until you were ready," Iruka says giving a hard stare at the unconscious Mizuki, "But now you know the truth, none of the student knows your student know your secret, so you don't need to fear them."

Naruto was glad to hear that. He was afraid that Sasuke and Sakura wouldn't be his friends if they knew the truth. He would tell them one day but he needed to know how they would handle it.

"Thank you Iruka-sensei; Thank you Hinata for being polite to me."

Iruka and Hinata chuckled at Naruto's comment. Iruka took his headband off and put it on the head of the remarkable boy.

"Don't sweat it. Besides, I'm nice to my fellow ninja."

Naruto touched the headband on his head; both his eyes and Hinata's eyes became wide with shock.

"You mean... I ..."

"You mean…Naruto…"

"Yes. Naruto has, as of now, graduated from the ninja academy. You are now a full-fledged shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village. Congratulations!"

Naruto and Hinata couldn't believe their ears. The dream that Naruto has waited for a long time has finally come true. Despite all the people that said he couldn't do it, Naruto's determination had finally paid off. Unable to control himself, Naruto started to shed tears of joy as he hugged his former sensei and Hyuga friend.

"Thank you, Iruka sensei; Thank you Hinata."

"I'm so proud of you Naruto," Hinata shouted.

"Now both of you are to be at the academy at 8:00 so you can be assigned to your new Sensai and fellow shinobi comrades, Understand," Iruka asks.

"Yes sir," Hinata and Naruto said.

Hinata again collapses due to lack of blood. Naruto was able to catch her but blushes when he saw her cute face.

"We should probably get her to a hospital," Iruka said.

Naruto nodded and put Hinata on his back as both of them head back to the village.

* * *

**_Author's Note: (finishes drinking water) Wow it's been to long since I have posted another story and I think that this story is still amazing. Naruto is still going to be a bit shy but slightly shy and he's not going to be afraid to fight so don't worry about me making Naruto weak. Now that my internet is back on let me see how many of you have read this story. (875) Umm…If you'll excuse me I'm going to faint, See you next…chapter… (Faints)._**


	5. Meeting Kakashi Sensai: All Four a Team

_**Author's Note: Hello everyone I'm back again and I'm here to give you another chapter. I don't own anything but the original characters so enjoy! But first let me respond to a reader's comment. It's NCA again. **_

_**NCA's comment: "Hey, Mr. Author how about stop using the review section as your own personal chat box. That's not what it's used for and it only makes you look arrogant. If you must address the reviewers do it before or after a chapter. The need to make this special little not really a chapter rant doesn't make you look any better either." **_

_**My response: "Wow, thanks for giving me advice in the nicest way possible," I said sarcastically, "But seriously, I hate people who give me an attitude just because of something I never even knew. But thanks anyway." **_

_**Oh I almost forgot, in the last few chapters, Jotaro was in the same class as Hinata and Naruto. I just didn't give him any lines. Also, Naruto has a twin sister in this story!**_

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**Meeting Kakashi Sensai: All Four in as a Team**

**At Hinata's house…**

Hinata wakes up to see that she was back at her home. She rubs her back and found that it has bandages wrapped around it. A smile went on her face when she remembers about last night and Naruto finally becoming a Genin. She put on her clothes and brushed her teeth and walked outside on her way to the academy. As she was walking, Hinata sees a peculiar figure. The figure was trying to blend in the environment, but Hinata saw through it and she knew who it was. A little boy with a helmet who wore a t-shirt with the Leaf Village symbol on it jumped out of the obvious disguise.

"I've got you now Hinata Hyuga," the boy shouted. But he tripped and fell on the ground rubbing his head. "A cheap trick. I'd expect as much from my rival."

"I didn't even do anything Konohamaru," Hinata says sweat-dropping.

Konohamaru is the Third Hokage's grandson. At first he and Hinata never got along with each other, but Hinata only called him his real name while other people saw him as the Third Hokage's grandson.

"Alright then, let's fight! Right here, right now," Konohamaru said.

"Sorry Konohamaru, but I need to get to my renovation." Hinata shows Konohamaru her official Genin headband. "I'm now an honorary Leaf Genin."

"Wow!"

"Well, I'll see you around sometime."

**With Sakura…**

Sakura was doing her hair until her mother called.

"Sakura! Aren't you supposed to be at the academy today?"

A tick mark appeared on her forehead.

"Yes! I know mom!"

Her Inner self appeared.

_"Cha! Why don't you stop treating me like a little girl?"_

Sakura walked outside ready to go to the academy. She is thinking to herself about what team she would be on.

_"Oh…I really hope I get to be on Hinata's or Sasuke's group. But I really wish there were four teams instead of three; that way Naruto could be with us too."_

That was when Sakura sees a fair-skinned girl of average height with blue eyes. She has long, blonde hair, which is seen in a high-ponytail with bangs covering the right side of her face. She wears a purple outfit with bags in her arms similar to Sasuke's.

"Ino." Sakura says.

"Sakura." the girl named Ino says.

Sakura and Ino are friendly rivals in the ninja ways. They are especially rivals when it comes to being with Sasuke since both have a crush on him.

"I'm surprised that you were able to become a Genin," Ino says.

"Well I'm just as surprised as you are," Sakura says, "Now listen here; I'm not the same brat that I was before. I'm not going to get in an argument with you over Sasuke.

"Same here…Billboard Brow."

A tick mark appeared on Sakura's forehead. She didn't like being called that even more then Hinata hates being called Princess.

"You got a problem…Ino-Pig."

A bigger tick mark appeared on Ino's forehead.

"Yeah I do! One of these days you and I will fight each other and I'll beat you in the most humiliating way possible!"

The two began arguing while running to the academy like two little children.

**At the academy…**

Hinata walks in to see Naruto in his seat. She became happy as she sees Sasuke talking to him.

"Hey! Naruto," Hinata shouted.

Naruto turns around and blushes at the sight of Hinata. Sasuke notices this but decides to wait until later.

"H…Hey H…Hinata. G…Good morning."

"Hey Naruto. Good morning."

"Did you hear too Hinata," Sasuke asks, "Naruto has now became a Genin like the rest of us."

That was when Sakura and Ino came rushing into the door.

"I'm first!" They both shouted.

They again begin to argue over who was first. Sasuke couldn't help but sweat-drop.

_"I can't believe fan-girls can be so annoying,"_ He thought.

That was when a blond-haired girl with blue eyes who wore a blue collar shirt with a green jacket and blue pants passed Naruto's seat. Naruto suddenly felt a sense of happiness. Like someone he missed finally returned. Iruka-Sensai then appeared and class started.

"Welcome all of you," Iruka says, "I'm very proud of you for making it this far. You are all now official Genin in training. I will now assign you all to teammates and to your Jonin Sensai."

Squad Seven: Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, Hinata Hyuga, and Naruto Uzumaki.

Hinata couldn't suppress the excitement and happiness inside her. She was so happy she hugged Naruto making him blush.

"Naruto! We're on the same team together! I'm so happy!"

Naruto was so help up on the fact that Hinata is hugging him that he fainted. Sakura and Sasuke became worried and managed to get him out of consciousness.

Squad Eight: Kiba Inuzuka, Jotaro Ozawa, Shino Aburame, and Kinuko Kitao.

Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura turned to see Jotaro sitting at his seat shooting hateful glances at them. They shot hateful glances back and turned around to ignore him. The blond haired girl named Kinuko was scanning her new teammates.

_"Hmm…I have a quiet emo kid, an already annoying jerk, and a man who like dogs as teammates. This ought to be interesting,"_ Kinuko thought as she looked at Naruto, _"But why does that boy look familiar? And why do I feel happy around him?"_

Sakura looked at Ino with a proud look on her face.

"How did you get to be on Sasuke's team?!" Ino said in an annoyed tone.

"Pure love and destiny Ino," Sakura answered, "You should probably look it up."

And finally, Squad Ten: Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, and Narahiko Ui.

A purple haired boy with a black outfit with a blue jacket and red pants also scanned his new teammates.

_"I see…An arrogant girl, a sensitive boy who eats a lot, and a bored out boy. I already like this team,"_ Narahiko thought.

Hinata, although she was grateful neither her nor Naruto was on the same team as Jotaro, was very tensed by the fact that Sasuke's on her team.

"I can't believe that I have to work together with an Uchiha like Sasuke," Hinata says pouting.

"Just don't get yourself hurt out there, Princess," Sasuke says annoying Hinata.

Hinata then went up to Sasuke's face in a rival like manner.

"You wouldn't like me when I'm hyped up for a battle Sasuke. You should be the one who watches your back.

Sparks began to form between the two.

"Really, that's so awesome," a boy says standing up accidentally hitting Hinata's back. "Whoops! Sorry about that."

Everyone's eyes grew wide in both surprise and horror at what they saw and their mouths dropped to the floor. Hinata and Sasuke are kissing each other with their eyes wide open! They both quickly withdrew from each other spitting out each other's cooties. Tick marks appeared all over Sakura's forehead as her Inner self appears again.

_"Cha! This is outrageous! Sasuke's suppose to be my first kiss! Hinata you going to pay slowly and painfully!"_

Naruto dropped his head feeling bad about the fact Hinata kissed Sasuke first.

"I can't believe that actually happened!" Hinata says as she turned to see an angry Sakura and Ino.

"Hinata…I'd start running if I were you…" Sakura says as she cracks her knuckles.

"W-Wait girls! It was just an accident I swear!"

But that didn't help her as after 5 minutes she had bumps, bruises, and blood on her face. Iruka only sweat-dropped as he focuses again.

"Alright, after lunch you are to report back here to meet with you new Sensai. I'm proud of all of you and good luck in the future."

**After lunch…**

Hinata was stomping the floor with her foot waiting for the Squad Seven Sensai. He was 15 minutes late and it's really annoying Hinata.

"Where is our Sensai! He's late," Hinata shouted.

"Hinata just calm down, I'm sure he probably got lost," Sakura says.

"Y…Yeah," Naruto says, "H…He may be new to his j…job."

Hinata calms down but then puts an eraser at the top of the barely closed door.

"Hinata what are you doing?"

"This is what he gets for being late on the job," Hinata says giggling.

"What makes you think that is going to work," Sasuke asks, "This is an élite Jonin we're talking about. He's not going to fall for that stupid trick."

That was when a gray spiky haired man with a mask covering his mouth and his left eye walked through the door. The eraser actually hit him on the head. Hinata laughed. Sakura and Sasuke were embaressed. Naruto chuckled a bit.

"HaHaHa! I got him," Hinata shouted.

"Please forgive us Sensai. I tried to stop her but she didn't listen."

"The name Kakashi Sensai. And judging from that prank of yours…you guys are total idiots," the man named Kakashi said.

This makes Hinata, Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto drop their heads in embarresment.

* * *

_**To be continued…**_

_**Well, that's a good chapter. Please leave positive reviews and stay cool.**_


	6. Squad Seven Members' Dream

**_Author's Note: I don't own anything so please enjoy._**

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**Squad Seven Member's Dreams**

On a rooftop of a building, Squad Seven are having a chat.

"Alright everyone, why don't you introduce yourselves before we go on," Kakashi says confusing everyone.

"Wait, what you want us to say," Sakura asks.

"Well…you name first, your likes and dislikes, and your goals for the future. Something like that."

"Can't you introduce yourself first," Hinata asks, "To show us how its' done?"

"Very well then…My name is Kakashi Hatake. My likes are…well I like a lot of things. My dislikes…well I don't like a lot of things. And my goals for the future…well it has something to do with something. Now your turn."

Hinata, Sakura, and Sasuke only sweat-dropped

"He only told us his name and nothing more," Sakura says a bit irritated.

Hinata then stands up to introduce herself.

"My name is Hinata Hyuga. The things I like the most are ramen and spending time with my friends. What I hate in this world are jerks like Jotaro who pick on others people. My dream is to become the Head of the Hyuga clan and prove to my father that I'm not the weak link, Believe it!"

"Interesting," Kakashi says.

"My name is Sakura Haruno. I like flowers and having friends. My dislikes are people who call me or my friends bad names. My dream is to win the love of a certain someone," Sakura says looking at Sasuke while blushing.

"Hmm…Nice."

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things and the only things I care about in this world are my friends. What I have is not a dream because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan and find someone who has been missing for years."

"I see…"

"Way to say the words Sasuke," Hinata shouts in excitement, "Becoming the Head of the Hyuga clan isn't just a dream to me! I'm going to make it a reality."

_"She has quite the excitement," _Kakashi thought turning to Naruto, "Now it's your turn Naruto."

"M…My name is Naru…" Naruto's voice died down.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you."

"M…My name is Narut…"

"I'm sorry but can you speak a little louder."

"M…My name is Naruto U…Uzumaki. I l…like fr…friends and I don't like b…being a burden to others. M…My dream is to be H…Hokage," Naruto says a little louder.

This surprises Kakashi greatly.

_"Wow! Despite being shy and insecure he wants to be a Hokage. The Third Hokage was right about these people,"_ Kakashi thought.

**(Flashback)**

**At the Third Hokage's Office…**

_"Alright Kakashi, here are your squad members, Hinata Hyuga, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Naruto Uzumaki," the Hokage says, "I'd say good luck with Hinata but then luck won't help you. And don't be too hard on Naruto okay; he is a bit timid in terms of talking but he has the goal of becoming Hokage."_

_"I understand Lord Hokage," Kakashi says bowing his head._

**(End Flashback)**

"So Kakashi Sensai," Hinata says, "What's going to be our first mission?"

"Our first mission," Kakashi asks.

"Yeah our first mission! Tell us please!

"Well, out first mission…is a Survival Exercise."

Hinata, Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto put confused looks on their faces.

"Wait! What do you mean by Survival Exercise," Sakura asks.

"Yeah! We're official Shinobi Ninjas and we're supposed to go on missions and adventures," Hinata shouted in agreement, "Not exercise."

"So why are we taking this exercise," Sasuke asks.

Kakashi started laughing at Sasuke's questions.

"What's so important about taking the exercise Sensai," Sakura asks.

"Well if I tell you, you won't like it," Kakashi told.

"Well, tell us anyway," Hinata says, "We can take it."

"Your funeral. Out of all the graduating students who were assigned to 22 different squads, only 9 squads are allowed to become Genin. Those who fail are sent back at the academy. And if I do my math right I'd say that you guys have a…66% chance of failing."

Hinata, Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto's mouths dropped to the floor and their entire bodies became white in pale that ever their clothes were white.

"See…I told you that you wouldn't like it."

A tick mark appeared on Hinata's forehead.

"Now wait a second," Hinata shouted, "Then what was the point of being at the academy if we were going to be sent back?!

"The academy gives the candidates who will become Genin. Just pray that you guys are the lucky ones," Kakashi says as he stands up, "The Survival Test will begin at the training field at 4:00 a.m. Oh Yeah! Be sure not to eat any breakfast, otherwise you'll puke."

With that, Kakashi disappeared.

**4:00 in the morning…**

Hinata, Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto all arrived at the practice field with stomachs growling.

"Hey guys," Hinata says rubbing her stomach, "You didn't eat anything either?"

"No! I didn't even eat dinner. This is going to be a total bummer," Sakura complains.

"Are you going to be okay Naruto," Sasuke asks.

"I'll be f…fine. Th…Thanks for worrying about me," Naruto says.

**2 hours later…**

Kakashi finally appears in front of the Squad who were irritated at the fact that their Sensai was late at the first training day.

"Sorry about being late guys, a black cat crossed my way so I had to take the long way around," Kakashi says, "By the way, I told you not to eat any breakfast on purpose just to see how well you can do at a disadvantage. At least you won't puke"

"Yeah right," Sasuke says sarcastically.

"I'm so hungry," Hinata thought loudly.

"So, wh…what do we do on the Survival Test S…Sensai," Naruto asks timidly.

"It's simple," Kakashi says setting a time clock on a tree trunk, "All you need to do is hide and then take these three bells from me.

Kakashi takes out three bells.

"You have 3 hours or its back to the academy for you."

* * *

**To be continued…**

**_Author's Note: Well, there you have it! There are something's different to Sasuke's story if any of you are wondering. What that is, you'll just have to wait and find out. See ya soon._**


	7. Kakashi's Survival Test

**_Author's Note: I don't own anything so please enjoy._**

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**Kakashi's Survival Test**

"So, wh…what do we do on the Survival Test S…Sensai," Naruto asks timidly.

"It's simple," Kakashi says setting a time clock on a tree trunk, "All you need to do is hide from and then take these three bells from me.

Kakashi takes out three bells.

"You have 3 hours or its back to the academy for you."

Hinata, Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto looked at the three bells. One thing bothered them thought, there were four of them but three bells for only one to get.

"Wait Kakashi Sensai, there are only three bells here and there are four of us," Sakura stated.

"That's correct. In this test only one of you will be sent back to the academy due to my rules; just hope that you're fast enough to get one from me," Kakashi says, "Are you ready?"

Hinata, Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto nodded their heads and got into a readied stance.

"Begin."

All of them disappeared within a second.

**With Iruka…**

Iruka and the Third Hokage are sitting down on a table.

"I'm entirely sure that you didn't summon me here just to have a sip of tea and a chat Iruka," the Hokage said.

"Yes Lord Hokage. Their something that I want to ask you about," Iruka says.

"It's about Naruto being put into Kakashi's group isn't it," the Hokage takes out a Squad Jonin paper sheet and hands to Iruka, "If you want to know about Kakashi's training method, be my guest. But you won't like what you see."

"Thank you."

Iruka opens the paper sheet and begins reading. After a while he focuses to a certain point and put a look of shock on his face.

"Th-This is unbelievable; the rumors are worse than I thought."

**With Squad Seven…**

After Hinata, Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto hid from Kakashi's sight, he was amazed by how well they hid.

"Well. They got the hiding part right."

**With Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto…**

"Alright guys. Kakashi Sensai is a Jonin level ninja and is not to be taken likely. Fighting him one-on-one definitely won't work," Sasuke said.

"M…Maybe we sh…should all attack him at the s…same time," Naruto says, "If that's okay with you."

"That's a great idea Naruto," Sakura says, "Kakashi Sensai can't protect the bells and fight all of us at the same time."

That was when Sasuke noticed something or more like someone missing.

"Where's Hinata," he asks and then realizing, "Oh no. Don't tell me…"

Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto turned to Kakashi's location to see Hinata standing before him.

"Alright Kakashi Sensai," Hinata shouted getting Kakashi's attention, "It's just you and me so show me what you got!"

Tick marks appeared all over Sasuke's and Sakura's foreheads. Naruto only blushes at Hinata's bravery.

_"THAT IDIOT!"_ Sasuke and Sakura thought out loud.

"Well Hinata," Kakashi says sweat-dropping, "You're quite the odd ball. You do realize that you should be hiding like your other teammates."

"Yeah I do, but real warriors never hide from anyone. Get ready," Hinata says activating her Byakugan.

Hinata charges at Kakashi Sensai and attempts to strike him with a palm strike, but he easily dodged.

"The daughter of the Head of the Hyuga Clan, and what's going on with your eyes must be the famous Hyuga Clan Byakugan," Kakashi says, "However, even with your speed and determination, you won't beat me."

"Talk while you can, Sensai, because I'm going to knock that cockiness right out of you."

Hinata rushes at Kakashi again and attempts to palm strike him. Kakashi disappears from her and reappeared behind her crouching down with a handsign.

_"Is that the Lion Jutsu sign,"_ Sakura thought, _"It is, would Kakashi really…"_

_"Either Kakashi really thinks Hinata can take such an attack or he's just plain crazy,"_ Sasuke thought, _"Using a Lion Jutsu sign is dangerous and could destroy anyone."_

"Sorry, but it looks like you'll have to try again Hinata," Kakashi says, "Secret Art…"

Hinata braces herself for the attack. Impact was heard showing that Kakashi poked Hinata hard on her (echem) bowels and shot her straight into the air.

"…A Thousand Years of Death!"

Sakura and Sasuke only sweat-dropped at this since it wasn't a Jutsu at all.

_"That wasn't a Jutsu at all, he just poked her,"_ Sakura thought irritably.

_"I swear, those two are just idiots,"_ Sasuke thought.

Hinata then falls into the nearby lake.

**With Iruka…**

Iruka has just recovered from the shock of what he read on Kakashi's profile. Apparently, not a single Genin has ever passed his test. Countless have tried, but ultimately failed.

"Iruka, even if it seems unfair, don't blame Kakashi if Naruto fails. As much as I hate to admit this, but Naruto needs to leave his comfort zone is he is to become a Hokage."

"Yes Lord Hokage."

And with that, both of them disappeared.

**With Squad Seven…**

**2 hours left…**

Hinata is trying to think about how to get a bell from Kakashi Sensai until a light bulb appeared over her head. She jumps out of the lake and attempts to palm strike Kakashi again, but he once again dodges the strike.

"How many times are going to keep trying to hit me from the front," Kakashi asks.

Suddenly, he felt someone grab him from behind. He turns around to see that another Hinata was holding on to him.

"Hah! Got you," the Hinata clone shouted, "I sneaked out of the lake while the real me distracted you."

"So I win Kakashi," the real Hinata shouted as she attempts to palm strike Kakashi again.

Though impact was heard, Hinata actually hit a log.

"What?! Where did Kakashi go," Hinata asks.

_"Kakashi used a Substitution Jutsu,"_ Sasuke thought.

Hinata then notices one of the bells on the ground near a tree.

"Yeah! He must have dropped it," Hinata says walking over to the bell.

_"Idiot! It's obviously a trap,"_ Sakura thought.

Before Hinata could grab the bell, her leg was suddenly tied up and the next thing she knew, she was hanging from the tree upside down.

"What is this?! Someone, get me down," Hinata shouted.

Kakashi appears and grabbed the bell under Hinata.

"Next time, when the bait is obvious, don't take it."

"Yeah, I know," Hinata shouted trying to get out.

"No, I'm telling you this because you don't know."

With Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto…

"Alright guys, since Hinata messed up our plan, I'll distract Kakashi Sensai. You two help get Hinata down," Sasuke says.

"Right," Sakura says.

Naruto nodded slowly.

"Ready, GO!"

Sasuke quickly got out of his hiding spot and attempts to kick Kakashi from behind. Kakashi quickly dodges the attack and faced Sasuke.

"You're quite the fast one Sasuke," Kakashi says, "That hit was a close call."

"I'm your opponent now."

Sasuke performs a hand sign.

"Fire Style…"

"A Fire Style Jutsu?! Genin can't do that, it expends too much chakra."

"Fire Ball Jutsu!"

A ball of fire shot from Sasuke's mouth and at Kakashi. Kakashi quickly dodge but was stunned by the fact that after performing the Jutsu, Sasuke isn't the slightest bit tired.

_"Interesting,"_ Kakashi thought, _"After all that he isn't even tired. So this is what Uchihas are capable of."_

With Sakura and Naruto…

Sakura and Naruto faced the upside down Hinata.

"Hinata you idiot, you should try to think before you leap," Sakura says.

"He He, sorry about that. I was so excited about becoming a Genin; I forgot that we all need to become Genin together."

Hinata got out a kunai knife and cuts the rope that was tied to her leg and lands on the ground. But the same thing happened, another rope tied on Hinata's leg and she found herself hanging upside down again.

"Oh come on! Not again!"

With Sasuke…

Sasuke was attacking Kakashi with everything he got but Kakashi disappears again.

_"Where did he go now? Behind me, In the air?"_

"Nope, underground."

Kakashi's hands popped out of the ground and grabbed Sasuke's feet. He dragged Sasuke into the ground while Kakashi jumped out.

"In the least place that you expected."

With that Kakashi disappeared while Hinata, Sakura, and Naruto caught up with Sasuke. Hinata and Sakura had horrified looks on their faces. A moment of silence until Sasuke spoke up.

"Hey guys, can you help me out."

"AAAAAGGGGHHH, SASUKE'S BODY HAS BEEN CHOPPED OF!" Hinata shouted passing out.

"AND NOW HE'S A TALKING HEAD!" Sakura shouted passing out.

Sasuke sweat-dropped.

_"I can't believe two of my friends are air-headed."_

"S…Sasuke. D…Do you need help g…getting out," Naruto asks.

"Yeah, thanks Naruto," Sasuke says.

Naruto manages to get Sasuke out of the pot hole and Hinata and Sakura came to.

**1 hour left…**

"No matter what I do, I just can't get those bells," Hinata says.

"There's only one Kakashi and there's four of us," Sakura stated.

"So we have an advantage," Sasuke says.

"So does anyone have a plan," Hinata asks.

Everyone nodded their heads no except Naruto.

"I h…have a plan if th…that's okay with you guys," Naruto says weakly.

"That's great Naruto. So what's your plan," Sakura says.

**With Kakashi…**

**1 minute left…**

_"I guess they've given up,"_ Kakashi thought.

That was when a barrage of shuriken was thrown at him. Kakashi quickly dodge to see that Hinata, Sakura, and Sasuke charging at him. All of them try to punch and kick him but Kakashi easily dodges each one, but they got harder to dodge each time.

"Wow! At this rate, they'll be able to take the bells away from me," Kakashi thought.

Hinata, Sakura, and Sasuke charged at Kakashi again and attempts to punch/palm strike him again while Kakashi block the attacks.

"Now Naruto!" Hinata, Sakura, and Sasuke shouted.

Naruto appeared behind Kakashi and before he could react, Naruto took the three bells away from Kakashi.

**Times up!**

Hinata, Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto jumped in joy at the fact that they won. Hinata then started to hug Naruto making him blush all over his face.

"Great job Naruto! Your plan worked!"

Naruto fainted at the fact the Hinata hugged him again. After he regained consciousness Kakashi turned towards him.

"Congratulation…Everyone passed," Just when they all were happy, "But Naruto!

Hinata, Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto dropped their mouths in shock.

"You see, Naruto grabbed all three of the bells and since all three of you worked together to fight me, Naruto will have to go back to the academy."

Naruto put a look an immense sadness on his face.

"NO WAY KAKASHI" Hinata, Sakura, and Sasuke shouted shocking Kakashi.

"We're not going to be on the squad if Naruto isn't a Shinobi along with us," Sakura shouted.

"And we're all in this together," Sasuke says.

"Yeah! Because the four of us are one, Believe it!" Hinata shouted giving a thumbs up.

Naruto couldn't help but cry at the fact that his friends would sacrifice their own dreams to stay with him.

"H…Hinata…S…Sasuke….S…Sakura…Th…thank you."

"Is that you final decision," Kakashi asks.

"Yes Sensai," Hinata, Sakura, and Sasuke said.

"Very well then…as of right now…All of you are now official Genin. You've passed!"

Hinata, Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto all cocked their heads in confusion. Hinata then realizes.

"Do you really mean that we…"

Kakashi nodded his head yes.

Hinata, Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto all shouted out in joy. They have passed Kakashi Sensei's test and are now Genin ninja.

"Our first mission will begin tomorrow so report to the Hokage's Tower at 8:00."

Kakashi disappeared and Hinata came up with a thought.

"Hey guys. Why don't we bring our hands together and state our dreams."

"Sure," Sasuke says.

"I don't mind." Sakura says.

Sakura put her hand in first.

"To win the love of a certain someone."

Sasuke put his hand in.

"To restore the Uchiha Clan."

Hinata put her hand in.

"To become the Head of the Hyuga Clan.

Naruto puts his hand in.

"To be H…Hokage."

Hinata then smiles.

"Let this be the symbol of our friendship and our promises to fulfill our dream!"

* * *

**To Be Continued…**

**_Author's Note: Alright! They are now an official team. I can't wait until next chapter! See ya Soon!_**


	8. Sasuke and Sakura: Care from Good Friend

**_Author's Note: This chapter is about Naruto spending time with Sakura and Sasuke. I don't own anything; they belong to "Naruto"._**

* * *

**My Friends Sakura and Sasuke: The Ones Who Treat Me like Their Brother**

After the Squad Seven promise was made, Hinata left, saying that she needed to buy supplies for their first mission. Sakura had asked Naruto and Sasuke to go with her on a shopping spree. Thought deep down Sasuke didn't want to go shopping, he agrees along with Naruto. Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto walked through the streets of the village. Sasuke notices that people were avoiding them; most of them gave cold looks at Naruto. That was when Sakura spoke.

"Hey Naruto, how come you're a Genin ninja yet you're wearing an orange outfit?" She asks.

Sasuke notices Naruto's outfit as well. It was an orange jumpsuit, but orange is an easy-to-see color. Giving the fact that ninjas are suppose to be stealthy and be able to blend into environments, Naruto's colored jumpsuit would make him an easy target.

"It's b…because the t…tailor of the village told me th…that I didn't deserve any black n…ninja outfits." Naruto answered.

"Wait. What do you mean?" Sasuke asked.

"I wanted a n…ninja outfit like the ones K…Kakashi and Iruka S…Sensai wear. B…But the t…tailor only gave me th…this."

"But Naruto, aren't you aware that you're at a greater risk of being killed in that outfit?"

"Y-Yes I do and I told the t…tailor about it but all he did was thr…threw this outfit at me and g…gave me the c…cold look e…everyone gives me."

Sakura couldn't hold her tears at Naruto's story.

"Th…Then he told me…Get lost d…demon br…brat."

Sasuke put on a face of pure anger at the fact that everyone treated his friend so badly. He clenched his fists so hard that his nails dug into his skin causing it to bleed. He calms down and then turns to Naruto.

"Hey guys. Why don't we stop by my house after we're done shopping?"

"Sure but…Sasuke! What happened to you hands?!" Sakura shouted noticing Sasuke's bleeding hands.

"Oh…Sorry about worrying you. I kind of got so held up on Naruto's story that I got angry."

"Okay but let me see your hands."

Sakura got out some band-aids and treated Sasuke's wounded hands. Sasuke couldn't help but blush a little.

_"She's actually concerned about me."_ Sasuke thought.

After Sakura was done they all went back to shopping. Sakura bought quite a handful of stuff from girlish clothing to facial make up. Now we know why she needed Naruto and Sasuke to come along since they were the ones carrying the heavy load.

"Hey Naruto." Sakura says getting Naruto's attention.

"Y…Yes Sakura."

"I want you and Sasuke to have something." Sakura says reaching into her pocket. She got out four star-shaped jewels each with a different color. One was red, one was blue, one was yellow, and one was green. "Which one do you want?"

Naruto took the green jewel and put it on his neck.

"Th…Thanks S…Sakura."

Sasuke took the red jewel and put it in his pocket.

"Thanks." Sasuke says.

"Then I'll take the yellow jewel." Sakura says putting the yellow jewel on her neck and putting the blue one in her pocket. "I'll give the blue one to Hinata. This is our official symbol of friendship. And if an enemy ninja in disguise tries to trick you, they'll need this in order for it to work." Sakura says confidently.

After the shopping was done, they all went to Sasuke's house. Sasuke told them to wait outside while he looks for something. When he came back out he held in his hand a special black outfit.

"This is for you Naruto." Sasuke says smiling.

"F…For me?" Naruto asks.

"Yes. If you are to become a Shinobi like the rest of us, you'll need to have the right clothing."

Naruto then started to cry at the fact that Sasuke and Sakura are treating him like family just like Iruka and Hinata did. After a moment of waiting, Naruto had finished changing into his new clothes. Sasuke and Sakura turn to see that Naruto Uzumaki no longer wore his traditional orange and blue jumpsuit. Now, he wore a pair of ink black slacks, with built in Shuriken and Kunai holsters, and built in knee pads. He also replaced his blue sandals with black ones, to match his pants. On his torso, he sported a long, sleeveless black trench coat, with only his fishnet shirt underneath, showing his surprisingly well maintained chest. On his hands were dark gray fingerless gloves, with a long stainless steel strip going across the knuckles. And around his head, hung his forehead protector. With a light red glow underneath his cheeks, Naruto grinned faintly.

"U…umm…. Wh…what do y…you think g…guys?"

Sasuke and Sakura scanned their friend's new attire, and smiled. He looked more like a ninja now. He looked more serious, and less obvious. Sakura then started to tease him a bit.

"Wow, who's the incredibly attractive young man I see before me? Surely it can't be Naruto Uzumaki…there's not a scrap of orange on this ninja."

Then she winked at him. Naruto's face would've made the red of a lobster look pink in comparison. The two Genin snickered when Naruto tried to compose a sentence, and decided that now was enough. Sasuke then spoke up.

"But seriously, Naruto…you look more like a respectable shinobi now. I'm sure that the whole village will be surprised when they see you…not to mention a certain Hyuga girl…" Sasuke whispered the last part to himself, and wasn't heard by his friend.

"Th…Thank you…All of you. B…but you two don't h…have to keep m…making sacrifices for me." Naruto says.

"Don't worry about Naruto. That's what friends do for each other." Sasuke says. "I don't want anyone on this squad to get killed. I promise to all of you."

All three of them walked back into town and stopped by at an ice cream shop. Sakura knew the owner well and got everyone's favorite ice cream. Sakura got a strawberry ice cream cone, Sasuke got a rocky flavored chocolate bar, Naruto got a vanilla ice cream cone.

"I hope all of you are just as excited about our first mission as I am!" Sakura shouted.

"Yeah! Just the thought of being on a mission as a team, it makes me happy." Sasuke stated.

"H…Hey S…Sasuke." Naruto says. "When we were at your house, I've n…noticed that there was no one th…there with you. D…don't you have a m…mother or a f…father?"

Sasuke then put a look of sorrow on his face.

"Yes. I once did."

"Once?" Sakura asks.

"Yes. I still remember that dreadful night. Like a nightmarish memory."

"Wh…what happened on th…this night?"

"I was crying that night. I…I couldn't stop him from leaving"

"Crying? What made you cry Sasuke? And who left?" Sakura asks.

Sasuke then put a smile on his face and put his hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it guys. I'll be alright. We should rest up for tomorrow's first mission."

They all got up and waved to each other goodbye. Naruto however was still worried about Sasuke. What could have happened on this night when he cried?

* * *

**To Be Continued…**

**_Author's Note: And there you have it! Thanks for all of your support and I'm promise that I'll go all the way through the "Naruto" series. Post good reviews and I'll see ya next chapter._**


	9. The First C-Ranked Mission

_**Author's Note: I'm back and here's another chapter. If the Third Hokage's real name is Sarutobi, then I'll put that in from now on, so enjoy.**_

* * *

**The First C-Ranked Mission**

"Hinata…. Do you see that target?" Kakashi asked in the headset.

He and his team were scattered throughout the forest, stalking the elusive feline. Hinata had her Byakugan activated, and was scanning the surrounding area.

"Yes…. Around 20 yards east of Naruto and the others." She answered back. "Did you hear that, you three?" Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto were stationed atop a large tree, 20 yards away from Tora.

"Yeah, we see it." Sasuke replied. "Sakura, Naruto and I are going in now. You and Kakashi-Sensei round back. So if she rabbits, you two can catch her."

Tora was a tan house cat, with a white stomach. She was licking her paw when the three shinobi dive-bombed from the tree.

"Come here, you fuzz ball!" Sakura cried.

But the cat's responsive reflexes were great, and moved the second she heard Sakura's voice. She pounced forward and dashed into the forest. The three landed on the ground, and started to pursue after her.

"Sasuke, Sakura and I are a…after Tora." Naruto said, as he passed Sasuke and Sakura and closed in on the frisky cat.

But right before he got close enough to catch her, Tora stopped on a dime and turned left. Not even Naruto's reflexes were that good, and ended up running past where the cat was heading.

"Lost her."

Then the sound of feet landing on the ground behind the bushes was heard. Oddly enough, it was the same bushes that Tora ran into.

"Not me, Naruto." Hinata's voice was heard on the headset.

He turned, and saw Kakashi and Hinata walking out from the bushes, with the cat purring in Hinata's arms.

"Thanks for sending her my way…. She's a cutie, like you." Kakashi, Hinata, Sasuke and Sakura laughed when Naruto went crimson red in the face and looked away in embarrassment.

The Hyuga girl would occasionally say stuff like that to mess with the poor boy. Ever since they met, she has been like that. And as you can see, not much has changed.

"Good job, you three." Kakashi said approvingly. "You all seem to be passable when it comes to working as a team. Normally, there would be a contest to see who would be the best Genin. I'm glad that's not the case here."

Sakura smirked and said, "That's because me and Naruto are aware of the fact that if we were doing that, we'd have to compete with Hinata, and face it, she can be scarier than a mountain-destroying giant when she wants to be. But Sasuke wouldn't be scared."

Hinata shot her a cocky grin and a thumbs up, "Heck yeah I can. Believe it! And don't forget it, guys and Sakura!"

Kakashi was always proud of his Genin students. They were so lively and are not afraid to work hard. Hinata turned to Naruto, and winked, receiving another panicked response.

_"Man…. She's so mean to him, in a friendly way, anyway."_ Kakashi snickered in his mind. "OK, you three. We should go ahead and bring this pain in the neck back to the Hokage tower."

The students agreed, and made their way back into the village, with Hinata scratching Tora behind the ears.

**At the Hokage Tower…**

"TORA!" The Fire Lord's wife cried when Squad Seven entered the office.

She was a hefty woman, decorated with expensive jewelry and elegant dressed.

"Mommy thought she lost you again!"

The woman reached out and snatched the cat from Hinata's arms. Then started hugging and smothering the cat with affection. Tora seemed to be miserable what that was happening, and left the entire team thinking the same thing.

_"Poor thing. No wonder she ran off…."_ Sakura thought to himself.

"You're welcome." Kakashi said to the Lord's wife.

The woman bowed, and left the room, practically suffocating the feline. Sarutobi felt the same for the poor pet, and silently wished him good luck.

"Well, you seem to be pretty good at this." The old man chuckled, "That wasn't even more than an hour and a half. Well done. You've completed about six D-ranked missions." He then notices Naruto's new appearance, "You look different, Naruto. Did you get a haircut or something?" He laughed when the blond boy looked around, confused, "Just kidding, boy. You look much better with that outfit, instead of the orange and blue jumpsuit."

"I gave him this new outfit. Originally, my father told me to wear it when I become a Jonin, but I felt that Naruto needed it to change his image if he wanted to be treated like a serious ninja." Sasuke stated.

Sarutobi raised an eyebrow, but smiled. "Well…. I see no harm in it. You finished a mission in reasonably good time. I'm sure your parents would have respected your decision."

"So Lord Hokage, what's our next mission going to be," Kakashi asks.

The old man then reached into his desk and took out a list of available missions.

Hinata and Sasuke groaned aloud at the mention of the word "Mission". To them, these weren't missions of any kind. They were chores, if anything else. But right now, all they did was groan as the old man happily shuffled through his mission list.

"Hmm….. Let's see here…." He mumbled aloud to himself. "The Yamanaka family needs some help with their flower shop," Sarutobi started naming off odd jobs that needed to be done around the village, "Some dogs need to be walked at the Inuzuka estate…. Some litter needs to be picked up near the Hokage monument…"

As the list went on, Hinata found herself grinding her teeth at the mission…. Until finally, she made herself and her opinions known.

"No more stupid D-ranked missions!" Her shrill voice pierced the ears of all who was in the room.

Sakura was about to bonk her loud friend on the head for disrespecting the Fourth Hokage, but Hinata's booming voice was too loud to overcome.

"We deserve a real assignment that a ninja would call a "Mission"! Walking people's dogs and picking up trash is NOT a mission for a ninja team. It's torture! We worked hard at the academy learning different types of Justus! But what good will they be if we never get an assignment that would require the use of Justus?!" Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi stared in disbelief at the Hyuga as her rant continued. We're more than ready for a C-ranked mission."

Naruto and Sakura were frantically looking at Hinata, then to Sarutobi, and back again. And after witnessing the girl's protest, the old man couldn't help but chuckle. Without saying a word, Sarutobi turned away from Squad Seven, and started rummaging through another filing cabinet. Kakashi sent Hinata a stern look, which had little effect. The Hyuga simply grinned triumphantly, and stared at Sarutobi as he pulled out a large file.

"Here we go…." Sarutobi sighed, leaning back in his chair and opening up the file. "There's a bridge builder who a ninja team to escort him back to his homeland, The Land of Waves. It's a low C-ranked mission…" He glances at Hinata. "But I would guess that would be alright with certain Hyuga girl out there who are itching for more. But this is up to your entire team, Kakashi…." The old man continued, getting everybody's attention again. "If you and all of your students agree to go, then your team can go. What do you two think?" The question was aimed at Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto.

Sasuke smirked and said, "That's fine with me, I've been itching for a real challenge."

"That's okay with me too. Just as long as Hinata doesn't attack me," Sakura says pouting.

Hinata put a confused look on her face.

"Wait! When have I ever attacked you?" Hinata asks.

"Don't you remember what you did in the last mission idiot?! The one that included us babysitting a little girl that was dressed like me?!" Sakura asks angrily.

**(Flashback)**

Hinata was looking at the real Sakura and a little girl dressed as Sakura back and forth. This only proves how much of an idiot she is since she was having a hard time figuring out whom the real Sakura was when it is completely obvious.

"Ummm…Ummm…I CAN'T TELL WHICH IS WHICH!" Hinata screams, "Curse you the person who's trying to steal Sakura's identity…for some unexplained reason."

Sakura's jaw dropped in amazement of Hinata's stupidity but then becomes angry.

"Oh come on! Isn't it obvious?!" the real Sakura shouted.

"Oh come on! Isn't it obvious?!" the fake Sakura shouted.

"I see that you both got the temper down right. This is going to be tough."

"What?!" real Sakura then got even angrier, "Grrrr, You can't be serious!"

"Shut up you!" Hinata shouted. "You think you can fool me huh? Well think again! Both of you step in front of me."

"Grrrr…" the real Sakura growled.

"Grrrr…" the fake Sakura growled.

"STOP MIMICKING ME!" the real Sakura shouted.

"STOP MIMICKING ME!" the fake Sakura shouted.

"Why you little…" Hinata stopped real Sakura with a palm strike.

"No you…"

Both Sakuras gathered in front of Hinata who prepared to attack.

"64-Palm…"

The real Sakura started to panic.

"Uhh, wait if you'd let me explain…"

"Strike."

Hinata then began striking both Sakuras with 64 fast palm strikes until the fake Sakura began crying.

"A-ha! The real Sakura would never cry from pain! Never do that again you hear me?!"

"Yes ma'am!"

Hinata then turns to the real Sakura.

"Well that makes you the real Sakura. Isn't that great?"

Tick marks appeared on Sakura's face.

"3…" Sakura says.

"3?" Hinata asks.

"2…" Sakura began cracking her knuckles.

"Uh…Sakura. Can we talk about this?"

"1…"

"What happened to "I'll give you till the count of three?!"

"AAARRGGH YOUR DEAD HINATA!"

Hinata tried to run but Sakura quickly caught her.

"DON'T YOU DARE RUN FROM ME! GET BACK HERE!"

Sakura then begins giving Hinata a beating of her life. It was so brutal that I can't explain it to you. Sakura talked throughout beating Hinata up.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU FOR THIS HINATA! OHH I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DID THAT TO ME YOU IDIOT! TAKE IT! SQUEAL LIKE A PIG! SQUEAL!

**(End Flashback)**

"Oh yeah! That's all in the past now. I even forgive you for beating me up that time."

A tick mark appeared on Sakura's head.

"You forgive me…"

The Hokage smiled, and turned to Naruto. "What about you, Naruto?"

The blonde's head snapped up when he heard his name mentioned.

"Do you think you're ready for a C-ranked mission? "And as predicted, Naruto did all of his nervous reactions. His cheeks went crimson from being the center of attention, and looked down. His knees started shaking, and his index fingers started swirling around the other. After a few seconds of awkward silence, the blond boy began to answer.

"Umm…. I th…think, umm…." The boy's nervousness him hard to understand. "Well…I think we m…might be able t…to handle a C-ranked mission…. I…if Kakashi-Sensei thinks we c…can handle one…" Naruto stopped when he began to ramble on, and became inaudible.

But Sarutobi heard Naruto's answer, and smiled. Hinata hooked her arm around Naruto's shoulders and gave him a nuggie, causing his face to take on a deeper shade of red. Sasuke and Sakura chuckled at the two, as Naruto's weak attempt of breaking Hinata's hold failed miserably. But soon, all four students were staring directly at their sensei. All four thought they were ready for a C-ranked mission, but if Kakashi didn't think so, then they couldn't go. The Jonin cleared his throat, and took a seat at Sarutobi's desk.

"Personally, I'm not too thrilled at the idea of a Genin team one month out of the academy taking on a C-ranked mission…" Hinata's face fell, Sasuke's and Sakura's was neutral, and Naruto looked at Hinata, then back at Kakashi, "But…." Hearing what Kakashi said caused Hinata's head to spike up again. "They have shown me excellent teamwork in their missions, and have done well in their training. I suppose that they could handle a C-ranked mission…. For now."

"YEAH!" Hinata cried, now even a fraction of a second later. "We're finally getting an ACTUAL mission! No more babysitting! No more trash collecting! No more dish washing! No more CHORES!"

Unable to contain her excitement, she turned and gave Naruto a hug. A few seconds of being held, Naruto fainted, and slumped backwards, with Hinata realizing what she has done.

"Oops…. Sorry Naruto...Naruto?"

She started poking Naruto's unconscious body with her foot. Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi started laughing at what happened, and Sarutobi sat in his chair, smiling at the team. As Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura tried to wake their fallen teammate up, the old man continued.

"You can tell Naruto when he wakes up that the mission is at 8:30 a.m. It's going to be a long trip, so tell him that he should pack the essentials."

Kakashi and the others nodded their heads. When it was clear Naruto wasn't waking up, Kakashi sighed. He walked up, picked the unconscious boy up and threw him over his shoulders like a sack. They then walked out of the office, with Sasuke and Sakura snickering at Hinata for an unknown reason.

**15 Minutes Later…**

"Naruto? Naruto?!" Hinata kept repeating, gently smacking her hands against the unconscious boy's face.

Ever since Hinata hugged him in the Hokage's office, Naruto has been out cold. The girl tried yelling in his ears, and that didn't work. She tried shaking him viciously, and that didn't work. While Hinata and Sakura thought of different methods of waking their sleeping friend, Kakashi and Sasuke sat lazily on the park bench, enjoying watching their comrades work. Finally, after none of their other methods worked, Kakashi let out a loud sigh, and got up.

_"I can see this might become a regular thing…."_ Kakashi groaned in his head, as he rummaged through his pouch, _"I just hope Hinata "Accidentally" hugs Naruto when we're not on missions. Him fainting while on duty could spell trouble."_

Kakashi then pulled out some smelling salt, and placed it underneath Naruto's nose. Once the scent of the foul substance entered Naruto's nostrils, the blonde's eyes snapped open. He bolted up to a sitting position and began looking around frantically, trying to figure out where he was. Naruto soon discovered he was in the park, surrounded by his teammates and sensei, who all had cocky grins on their faces.

"Had a good nap, Naruto?" Kakashi asked, with a sly smirk plastered to his covered face.

Naruto's face took on a deep shade of red with embarrassment.

"You've been out of it for a good 15 minutes. Our little Hinata was beginning to worry her little head off."

The girl turned and glared at her sensei.

"S…sorry…." The boy mumbled, as he got up to his feet. "I…I don't know wh…what happened. B…but I'll try n…not to faint again…."

Hearing the boy apologize for something he had very little control over had Kakashi feeling a little bad. So he sat back down, stretched his arms and legs, and let out a long sigh.

"No need to apologize, Naruto. You have very little, if any, control over what your body acts." Hearing this made Naruto feel a little better. "That said…" The man continued. "Sarutobi gave us orders concerning the mission tomorrow. He said we need to be at the tower at 8:30am. You four need to pack the essentials, and get a good night's sleep. And since it's going to be a long trip, I suggest you all pack some food for energy and fill multiple canteens of water."

The three students nodded their heads, understanding their orders.

"Good…" Kakashi said with a warm smile. Then, he suddenly remembered he had something for them. He reached back into his back pouch and pulled out three colorful slips of paper. "I came across these four coupons for Ichiraku's Ramen. And since I'm not a huge ramen fan, I'd thought you four would enjoy them more." Sasuke, Sakura and Hinata excitedly accepted the coupons, while Naruto smiled and hesitantly reached out and accepted the piece of paper. The four waved goodbye and raced off towards the famous ramen stand, while Kakashi chuckled to himself and headed towards his house.

* * *

**To Be Continued…**

_**Author's Note: Now they're going to go on their C-Ranked in the next chapter. I'll see ya then.**_


	10. Meeting Squad Eight

**_Author's Note: Hello again its Lion C. Simmonds and I need to say that I hope that none of you dislike the Sasuke's character of this story. I know that you all maybe thinking that he's too nice to Naruto, but he's going to be like that so please don't hate this story because of that. Now please enjoy this chapter._**

* * *

**Meeting Squad Eight**

**AT ICHIRAKU'S…**

The four genin ninja ran, and came to the well known ramen stand. Teuchi was wiping the front counter down with a damp rag, whistling aloud happily. In the kitchen, his daughter Ayame was sweeping the linoleum floors, humming a song she likes to hear. When the elderly man looked up and saw the kids running his way, he dropped his rag and waved at their arrival.

"Hello!" He greeted happily. "Welcome! Please take a seat and decide what you would like!" Hinata smiled broadly and took a seat, as did her teammates.

"Hey there, old man!" Hinata never used any other greeting for any older man. "We're going on our first C-ranked mission tomorrow morning. And Kakashi-Sensei gave us these coupons, good for one large bowl of any ramen for free, for our excellent work this first month."

Teuchi let out a hearty laugh as the over excited Hyuga went on and on about the things they've done. And her subjects never lasted more than a minute, when she'd change it to another subject relating to the one before it. But, she finally remembered why they were there in the first place, and pulled out her coupon. "Give me one large chicken ramen, old man."

Sasuke and Sakura pulled their coupons out too.

"I'll have beef ramen." Sasuke says.

"I'll have chicken ramen please." Sakura says smiling.

Teuchi happily accepted the coupons and turned to Naruto. Surprisingly, this is the first time Naruto and Teuchi even met.

"Oh hello. Are you a friend of Hinata?" Teuchi asks.

Naruto was hesitant to answer. "Y…Yes. I'm N…Naruto U…Uzumaki."

"Naruto Uzumaki…That's a great name if you ask me. So what would you like to eat? Your friends are a regular, so I already know what they would order. But since you're new here, you need to tell me, so I'll know for future reference." Teuchi says with a smile.

Naruto had a hard time deciding on what to order. There were so many flavors and combinations to choose from. But since he didn't want to keep Teuchi waiting, he went with Hinata's and Sakura's choice.

"Umm…. I…I'll have what H…Hinata and Sakura are having…please…."

He finished in a soft whisper. But the old man caught it, and told his daughter what they wanted. And once he gave Ayame the orders, he turned back to his four customers.

"Since your new here Naruto, I'll examine your appearance so I can greet you like your friend. Teuchi took a close look at Naruto. "Oh. Blond spiky hair, whisker birthmarks, _beautiful _ocean blue eyes and has the name of Naruto…"

They then heard the sound of a dog barking and they turned to see a small puppy with white fur. Its eyes are squinted; appearing closed, and has a dark brown nose, as well as dark brown patches on his ears and a dark outline around his mouth. Its fur on top of his head is styled to somewhat resemble a Mohawk.

"Aww…it's a little puppy." Sakura shouted in shock of its cuteness.

Sasuke then approached the puppy and petted it.

"I'm actually pretty fond of dogs."

But then the puppy bit Sasuke's hand causing him to shout in pain. Sasuke was trying to shake the puppy of but it held on.

"AAAAGHHH! GET THIS THING OFF ME!" Sasuke shouted.

Hinata laughed at the fact that the dog bit Sasuke. Naruto chuckled a bit.

"Hey! Just what are you doing to Akamaru?" A voice shouted.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura turn to see a boy with messy brown hair, sharp black eyes with vertical slit-like pupils, pronounced canine teeth, and nails that he can change into claws. He also has the distinctive red fang markings of the Inuzuka clan on his cheeks.

"We weren't doing anything sir. This dog just bit our friend." Sakura explained to the boy.

The boy began to laugh as the dog let go of Sasuke and ran up to him.

"Akamaru probably doesn't like you. When he bites people it means either he doesn't like them, or they did something wrong taking care of him. I'm his friend, Kiba Inuzuka.

"Oh yeah, I know you. I think your name was called for Squad Eight, I think," Hinata says.

"Yep!" Kiba says noticing Naruto, "Who's this?"

"I-I'm N…Naruto U…Uzumaki."

"Hello Naruto. I'm Kiba and this is my pal Akamaru."

Akamaru barks introducing himself.

"So Kiba. What's it like being on Squad Eight?" Sasuke asks.

"Well…things weren't easy for us in that Squad," Kiba says as Akamaru jumped in his jacked, "First there's Shino. It kind of annoys me when he has that monotone volume of his. Then there's Kinuko. Wow, you guys better be thankful that she's not on your team."

"What do you mean?"Sakura asks.

Kiba takes a seat next to Naruto.

"Kinuko is one scary monster. I mean literally, when I say something stupid or get an attitude with Shino…" Kiba then shivers at the thought, "…you don't want to know. But, she's a good friend to all of us. But then there's Jotaro."

"Hey Kiba!" Jotaro's voice rang. "A few seconds ago, I just sneezed. Is someone talking about me?"

Naruto's heart had completely sunk at the sound of Jotaro's voice. The blond looked down, as Teuchi came with all three orders. The smell of his chicken ramen as very pleasant, but the memories of the bullying and torment delivered from Jotaro all those years at the academy turned to pleasant smell into scentless fog. Hinata, Sakura and Sasuke were about to ask what was wrong, when they heard the harsh sound of Jotaro's voice interrupt them.

"Well, Well, Well, if it isn't the crybaby. Looks like he's got a new look!" Hearing his cruel voice made the three Genin tense up. "And look, he's on a day with his friends…How sweet…"

The other three turned and sent glares at Jotaro. Kiba looked at Jotaro with a look of small anger and confusion.

"Hey! What's your problem today Jotaro? I'm sure this boy didn't do anything to you." Akamaru barks in agreement.

"That's none of your business Kiba. I guess Uzumaki was getting tired of looking like a complete loser. Though, he kind of looks more pathetic, trying to look tough."

Hinata is really getting tempted to give the bully a beating of his life, but Kiba was already trying to help.

"Jotaro! Will stop messing with the poor kid?! I don't know what he did to you, but that doesn't mean he deserves this harsh treatment from you!"

Jotaro ignored his teammate's demand and leaned against a wall. Kiba turned to Naruto.

"Hey dude…" Kiba began, ignoring the irritated look sent by his teammate. "Nice clothes. I think some ladies might get attracted to you in that outfit."

Naruto smiled and blushed faintly as he took a bite of his chicken ramen. "Th…thanks, Kiba…" He replied in his normal whisper loud voice. "S…Sakura took me sh…shopping and S...Sasuke gave me this outfit."

"And we're going on a _C-ranked _mission tomorrow morning." Sasuke added, as he gulped down the beef broth left in his bowl.

Sasuke Uchiha had never been one who took delight in other people's unpleasant reactions…but when it came down to Jotaro, he made an exception. While Kiba, not feeling any unfairness or bitterness towards his new friends, congratulated them. Jotaro, on the other hand, was outraged.

_"What?!"_ The boy thought angrily. _"How does a failure like Uzumaki receive a C-ranked mission?!_ _I haven't even been offered a higher ranking assignment!"_ Jotaro fists tightened at the thought, as he decided to speak his mind.

"Must be a lame mission, if they're going to send an orphaned crybaby on it."

The reminder of his status as a orphan caused Naruto to look down, with his hands shaking, trying to let absolutely no tears or signs of sadness show.

"I mean, seriously, how important could it be if they are willing to send Orphaned Uzumaki on it?"

Hinata was rapidly losing the will to restrain from attacking the despicable boy. Even Teuchi and Ayame stopped working, and took notice of the harsh thrashing the bully was delivering onto the poor blond boy.

"What is it? Delivering flowers to another village or something more stupid than that?"

Now, paying no attention to his meal, Naruto stared down and nothing more. He didn't with to make eye contact with his friends, afraid that they'll see his expression. But Jotaro managed to predict his emotional state, and began playing off of it.

"What? Baby needs mommy to make him feel better? Oops! I forgot…. You don't have one."

And that did it. Naruto bolted out of his seat and ran into town, not knowing where he was going, because of the tears in his eyes. And quite frankly, he didn't care, just as long as it was far away from there.

"Naruto!" Hinata cried, trying to make her blond friend turn.

But her cries landed on deaf ears. Naruto just ran away, as the cruel sound of Jotaro's laughs followed him. Now, with tears in her eyes, and rage in her heart, she activated her Byakugan, and turned to the cold-hearted shinobi. Even Sasuke and Sakura were aching for a fight, and were already out of their chairs, with their hands made into fists.

"Since the Hokage isn't around, you don't have anyone to save you…."

Purple chakra was radiating of Hinata's hands. Though chakra isn't normally purple, Jotaro was alert, but wouldn't show it. He merely dropped into a fighting position, and locked eyes with the Hyuga across from him.

"You think this is smart, Hyuga?" He asked as he pops his neck muscles.

Kiba, actually wanting to see his smart mouthing teammates get thrashed, was finishing up Naruto's unfinished ramen, as if watching a movie.

_"I have a worthless teammate." _Jotaro thought.

**POW!**

The next thing he knew, he was sent flying backwards, with blood squirting from his nose. While he was distracted about his "Worthless team" Sakura ran forward, and delivered a devastating punch to the boy's face.

"Yeah! Way to go Sakura!" Kiba cheered. "That's what I'm talking about!"

Jotaro's body went tumbling across the ground, and smacked against a building. Jotaro grunted angrily, and got himself to his feet. He felt something warm and wet underneath his nose, and reached up to see what it was. When he discovered it was blood, he glared dangerously at the Haruno.

"Looks like Billboard-Browgrew a backbone."

A tick mark appeared on Sakura's temple when Jotaro mentioned her forehead size, and uncontrollably, began to march closer and closer towards the bleeding boy until all of them were stopped by bugs coming from Shino. Kinuko appeared right beside him.

"That's enough out of you Jotaro." Kinuko said giving Jotaro a cold look.

A large puff of smoke erupted in between the two teams. The smoke caused Sakura to step back, and stopped Hinata from a revenge inspired march with her. When the smoke cleared, both Kakashi-sensei and Kurenai-sensei were revealed, with irritated looks directed at Jotaro, than towards Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura.

Kurenai-Sensei was a fairly tall and light-skinned woman of slender build. She has long, black, shoulder-length untamed hair, and very unique eyes that are red in color, with an additional ring in them. She wears make-up consisting of red lipstick and purple eye shadow. Her regular outfit consists of a red mesh armor blouse with only the right sleeve visible. Over this is very broad material which resembles bandages with a pattern on it similar to those of rose thorns. Her hands and upper thighs are also wrapped in bandages and she wears the Leaf Village forehead protector and regular shinobi sandals.

"Well…. That was quite interesting." Kurenai sighed and gave Jotaro a dead look. "I thought you would've grown past bullying Naruto. I can see I was mistaken."

"Jotaro deserved what was coming…." Kinuko said turning and saw Kiba, giving the last of his chicken broth to Akamaru.

"I only wanted to introduce myself to Kakashi's squad. But Jotaro…" Kurenai sighed heavily again, and raised her hand, signaling for Kiba to stop.

"We saw everything, Kiba…." She reassured, not taking her eyes off Jotaro. "No need to remind us of the rather… Un-ninja like behavior shown by your teammate."

Hearing that sparked a sudden rage in Jotaro. But before he could even begin his angry rant, his sensei continued.

"You interrupted a team's meal, just before their first C-ranked mission. You verbally attacked a member of their team, without probable or reasonable cause. Now tell me Jotaro, what part of that sound like what any other ninja would've done?"

He didn't answer…. He merely wiped the blood from his nose, and turned his back to leave.

Kakashi sighed, and turned to his team. "Now…. While I don't endorse or improve fighting while not on a mission, I don't see how you are in any of the wrong…. Except Sakura throwing the first punch…" He paused, and saw a guilty grin appearing on Sakura's face. "You did what was acceptable by ninja standards." He then turned towards Kiba, with an equally warm smile on his face. "And thank you, Kiba…For not only defending Naruto, but actually trying to keep him protected from your teammate."

The boy put on a proud look on his face, and scratched the back of his head. "It was nothing, Kakashi-sensei…" He chuckled. Akamaru yipped happily, agreeing with his master. "Even Akamaru thinks that Jotaro deserved to get hit."

Kurenai-Sensai spoke up. "You should go and inform your teammate that there will be more intense training for him tomorrow. Tell him, that he is to show up at 6:30 a.m. You, Shino, and Kinuko, on the other hand, should show up around 9:30 a.m." Kiba and his teammates got the meaning of his sensei's orders, and snickered mischievously (except Shino). They all went off in Jotaro's direction; Kurenai looked Kakashi straight in the eyes. "Sorry… For how one of my students acted." Then, not even a second later, she disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Kakashi shrugged, and turned back to his team. "You guys should go home. Naruto needs some space right now… And don't worry, he'll show up tomorrow."

Hinata wanted to say more, but she listened. They waved goodbye to Teuchi and Ayame, who were whispering to one another about what just took place a few minutes before. And when her students were out of sight, Kakashi got out his favorite book.

"Now…Where was I?"

Then he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

* * *

**To Be Continued…**

**_Author's Note: Jotaro is starting to get on my nerves. He needs a Giant Rasengan to the face or something, treating Naruto like that! Anyway, next chapter the team will definitely go on the mission. If you are wondering why Sakura punched Jotaro in the face instead of Sasuke or Hinata, it's because she didn't get a chance to punch him. See ya next chapter!_**


	11. Journey to the Land of Waves

_**Author's Note: Okay people! I've made a final decision on a future chapter. In the Chūnin Exams, Naruto will fight Jotaro. Enjoy this next chapter.**_

* * *

**Journey to the Land of Waves **

**The Next Morning…**

Kakashi is waiting for his students to show up at the designated meeting spot. He reads a perverted romance book, but he saw all three of her students walking his way. They each packed enough goods for the journey and are ready to go. Naruto, thankfully, appears to be feeling better today. Hinata wanted to talk to him but Sasuke told her not to since the memories of last night will only make Naruto feel worse.

"Good morning team," Kakashi says greeting his students, "I hope you're ready for our first C-ranked mission."

"Heck yeah I am!" Hinata shouted.

"And how are you feeling about the mission Naruto?" Kakashi asks trying not to make Naruto remember last night.

"I-I'm a little e…excited about it if th…that's okay with you," Naruto says in a low voice.

"That's great. Now if you all will follow me to the Hokage's office."

Kakashi then begins to lead the team to the Hokage office but he couldn't help but think.

_"It still pains me to have to witness him being mistreated like he was last night. He deserves so much for all the good he tries to do."_

But his sympathetic thought stopped when he and his team arrived at the large oak door. Kakashi knocked twice, and heard Sarutobi's voice on the other side.

When they entered, they noticed that there was another man with him. He was an elderly man, but not so old as to be mistaken to be Sarutobi's age. He had short spiky gray hair, with a bushy goatee to match. He was wearing tattered brown clothes, signifying that he worked on farms and other physically demanding jobs. Glasses hung off his nose, and he hiccupped uncontrollable. The reason for that became clear when the team noticed the half empty sake bottle in the man's hand.

"So…." The man said in slurred words, most likely caused by the alcohol. "This is my shinobi team, huh? A bunch of brats, straight out of diapers?"

The arrogant man grunted, and took another swig of saké. Hinata frowned at the "Brat" comment directed at her, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke. Sarutobi sighed, and invited Kakashi to take a seat.

"Kakashi, this is Tazuna, from the Land of Waves. He's in charge of completing the bridge connecting that land to the other surrounding lands." Tazuna grunted, as he leaned against the wall and continued to drink his sake. "You can start your mission as soon as you all are ready." Kakashi looked at his team, then to Tazuna.

"If he doesn't have anything that needs done here…. We could leave immediately." Kakashi then walked right in front of Tazuna, and swiped the empty bottle from his hands. "Well, Tazuna? Do you have further business that needs to be finished here?"

The old man grumbled something underneath his breath, and then answered in a low tone. "No…. we can leave now."

At The Entrance of the Leaf Village…

Hinata was ecstatic about the mission.

"YEAH! LAND OF WAVES HERE COMES SQUAD 7!" She shouted in excitement.

"What are you so excited about?" Sasuke asks in a bored tone.

"What I'm excited about?" Hinata asks in an astonished look, "We're on a C-ranked mission people. Plus, we're outside the village for the first time!"

"Oh great! There's always got to be one brat that can get on my nerves." Tazuna says annoying Hinata.

"Hey, old man! I don't care if you're important to escort, but you're talking to a Leaf Shinobi Ninja. You should treat all of us with respect, Believe it!"

"The day that I am willing to respect any of you will be the day that I sprout wings and fly!"

"Why you…"

But Sasuke stopped Hinata from attacking the person they were escorting.

A Few Minutes Later…

Hinata let out a huge groan.

"UUUUGGGHHH! Are we there yet?!"

"FOR THE FOURTH TIME HINATA! NO! WE'RE NOT!" Everyone but Naruto shouted.

As they walked on Naruto notices something peculiar. There was a puddle of water on the ground where he was walking which was odd since it hasn't rained at all.

"Is there something wrong Naruto?" Sakura asks seeing Naruto's confused face.

"Oh. Uhh…It's nothing S…Sakura." Naruto answers. _"I have a bad feeling…"_

Tazuna has been awfully quiet ever since they left the village. Sasuke decided to break the ice.

"So, Tazuna…You've been really quiet ever since this mission began. Is there some…"

"SASUKE! GET DOWN!" Hinata cried.

With lightning fast speed, the Hyuga girl managed to jump to her feet, and tackled Sasuke to the ground. But not even a quarter of a second later, a barrage of Shuriken embedded themselves in the tree that was beside Sasuke.

"SCATTER!" Kakashi ordered, without missing a beat.

He dashed towards Tazuna, grabbed him, and leapt into the trees, along with her students. Naruto, who was startled instinctively followed directly behind along with Hinata, Sasuke and Kakashi. Sakura on the other hand actually scattered from the group. Like Naruto, she was startled by the attack, and ran in different directions.

Kakashi, Tazuna, Hinata, Sasuke, and Naruto leapt from tree to tree with lightning speed.

"We need to get to an open area!" Kakashi growled as he landed behind a tree to catch his breath. "The enemy won't be able to hide if we're in a clearing."

Naruto was winded from the sudden burst of energy he was forced to use. He bent over, bent his legs, and propped himself up with his hands to take large gasps of air. Sweat mixed with rain, and his adrenaline was going haywire. But after a few deep breaths, Naruto glanced around realized something.

"K…Kakashi-Sensei! S…Sakura is st…still back there!"

It was true. The ambush had caused the team to disperse. Kakashi, Hinata, and Sasuke had looks of fear on their faces.

Kakashi thought bitterly, looking around franticly. _"This is bad! If Sakura's alone then…" _"Naruto, You, Hinata, and Sasuke take Tazuna and head into the forest! After a mile or two, hide somewhere and don't come out until I say so! I'll go and get Sakura…"

Suddenly, Sakura's faint scream was heard in the distance. "No…" Kakashi, Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke and Tazuna breathed in unison.

"EVERYONE! RUN!" Kakashi barked, charging in the direction of the scream. Naruto's legs were shaking because of the fear for his friend.

But he swallowed hard, grabbed Tazuna by the wrist and led him in the opposite direction. Sasuke didn't move.

"S…Sasuke. We need to g…go." Naruto says to his Uchiha friend.

"No Naruto…" Sasuke says with anger in his eyes, "You and Hinata protect the bridge builder while I help Kakashi save Sakura."

"B…But S…Sasuke."

"I made a promise to all of you…that I would never let any of you die. What kind of friend can't even protect his own friends? Now go!"

Sasuke immediately disappeared after Kakashi. Hinata didn't move either.

"H…Hinata…"

A purple chakra aura surrounded her.

"If anyone hurts Sakura when I get there…I'll make him pay dearly!"

"N…Not you too H…Hinata."

"Stay out of my way Naruto, please!" Hinata had a look of pure rage on her face as her voice became deeper and became demonic, **"They'll see what it means to stare death in the face!"**

Hinata disappeared in an instant leaving Naruto confused. Remembering what Kakashi ordered him, the blond boy led Tazuna deeper into the forest. Tazuna kept looking down, not wanting to make eye contact. _"This is all my fault…"_

**With Kakashi…**

The Jonin dashed through the trees with impressive speeds, with a kunai in each hand.

"Please be OK, Sakura…"

Kakashi leapt from a large tree, and landed in the spot which they were attacked. The normally calm Jonin was circling around franticly, listening for any other sound from his Haruno student. Seconds seemed like minutes, as the Shinobi heard no more signs of life around.

"Well, Well…Look at what we have here, brother. Another toy."

The unfamiliar voice caused Kakashi to rotate around in the blink of an eye. Atop a large tree branch stood two figures, one holding an unconscious Sakura. They were both from the village hidden in the mist. One wore a black cloak, draping down to his knees. Underneath that, he wore bandages from his hips up to his neck. On his left hand, there was a large steel glove, with sharpened claws on his fingers. On his face was a gas mask of some sort, and a hidden mist headband. The man beside him was similar with appearance. He wore brown vest over a brown camouflage shirt. On his right hand was a similar steel gantlet as the first man. He also had the same mask, and a hidden mist headband. Long bushy brown hair went down both men's neck, and their dark beady eyes peered down at the solo Shinobi. These were the Oni Brothers of the Village Hidden in the Mist, Rouge Ninja.

"Looks like we have ourselves a Jonin here!" Gozu, the eldest brother chuckled, pressing his poison soaked claws against the unconscious Sakura's neck. "It sure would be a shame to see his pretty student get killed, wouldn't it Meizu?"

Meizu, the younger brother laughed manically, "Oh for sure, Gozu. Look at her pretty face. But if a Haruno was taken down that easily, then what good would she be if she was a ninja? I say we kill her." Kakashi shown eye widened.

"What are ninjas from the Village Hidden in the Mist doing in Hidden Leaf territory?!" He shouted heatedly. "What business do you have here, and what possessed you to attack my team?!" Gozu, wanting to have a little more fun, rested the razor sharp points of his claws on Sakura's windpipe.

"You are in no position to be demanding answers, Shinobi. Me and my brother have one your precious students, and control whether she lives or dies. So I would be sure to shut up if I were you."

Kakashi grinded his teeth, seeing that the sadistic men were using one of his students as a human shield. "But don't worry. If you be a good Sensei, Meizu and I MIGHT kill you and your student quickly and painlessly. Now, why don't you….."

Gozu was then hit hard in the face by a powerful kick delivered by Sasuke. Sasuke quickly grabbed Sakura when Gozu lost his grip on her. He quickly ran to Kakashi's side, though Kakashi was grateful that Sakura was safe, he couldn't help but scold Sasuke.

"What are you doing here Sasuke?! I told you to protect the bridge builder!"

"I'm sorry Kakashi-Sensei, but I wanted to save Sakura as much as you do." Sasuke says blushing a bit.

Gozu regained his balance as Meizu appeared beside him.

"Why you little…Get ready to die brat!"

But before the two could rush to the Shinobi, Hinata suddenly appeared between them.

"Hinata?! You too?! If you're wondering, Sakura is safe. Now why aren't you protecting the bridge builder like I ordered you to?!"

Hinata didn't answer though.

"Hinata Hyuga! Answer me! Why aren't you protecting the-"

**"Shut up human!"** Hinata's demonic voice sounded startling Kakashi and Sasuke.

Hinata turned around to face the two. Kakashi and Sasuke had looks of horror on their faces. Hinata was different; a purple chakra aura surrounded her. Her face was purple with reptile scales around the eyes. Her eyes were also purple with what looks like a dragon's eye.

_"W-What is this."_ Kakashi thought with fear. _"W-What's happened to her?"_

"YOU LOUSY BRAT!" Meizu shouted.

Before Kakashi could do anything, a long chain, made of shuriken came hurling in both his and Sasuke's direction. Luckily, even with Sakura carried in his arms, Sasuke and Kakashi managed to dodge the razor-sharp chain.

"Where is the bridge builder?!" Gozu demanded, while he retracts his chain. But Hinata grabbed the chain and gave Gozu a leering look.

"Why you…let go!" Gozu tried to pull the chain back but it was like pulling a wall. Hinata then pulled Gozu towards her and prepared to attack.

**"No…You buzz off insect!"** Hinata shouted punching Gozu straight in the face.

Gozu flew straight at a tree knocking it down and losing consciousness.

"Gozu! You little twerp! You'll pay for that!"

Meizu was charged directly at Hinata, with his poison soaked claws aimed at her. Hinata disappeared causing Meizu to hit the ground instead. Hinata reappears in front of him and punched him in the stomach and made him cough blood.

"Wh…what a…are y…you….?" Meizu asked.

**"Your worst nightmare, you pathetic human!"**

Hinata grabbed Meizu's head and smashed it on the ground creating a crater and knocking him unconscious.

**"You better be grateful that this girl is so kind-hearted. Otherwise, I would have killed you both slowly."** Hinata demonic voice ringed. She turned to the shocked Kakashi and Sasuke and smirked, **"Tell Naruto about this and I'll come for you two next."**

Hinata's scales and dragon-like eyes disappeared and she lost consciousness. It took Kakashi and Sasuke a few minutes to even say a word.

"Did you just see that just now," they both said simultaneously, "Yes I did! Then I wasn't dreaming then."

"Okay! Let's just stay calm and think for a second." Kakashi says breathing very hard.

"I have a better suggestion. Let's just get Hinata and get the heck out of here!"

Kakashi quickly picked up the unconscious Hinata and he and Sasuke quickly left.

**A Few Hours Later…**

Hinata awoke with her head aching. She lied on a boat, rubbing temples to get his skull splitting headache to go away.

_"Wh…what happened…?"_ She thought out loud, weakly. No answer. Then she remembered what was happening a few hours ago, and her eyes snapped open.

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!" She jolted up into a sitting position, reaching for her kunai holster. But to his shock, both her kunai and shuriken holster was not attached to her thighs. She was about to panic, when Kakashi notices her on the boat

"Don't worry, Hinata…" His voice was somewhat soothing to Hinata. "Those Rogue Ninja are, by now, being turned into the Leaf Village Police…They umm… knocked you, Naruto, Sasuke and Tazuna out ummm…after I left you, Naruto, and Sasuke to go find Sakura."

Remembering her teammates, she tried to get up. "They're alright, Hinata. I managed to rescue them before the Oni Brothers could do anything."

Sasuke and Naruto noticed Hinata and smiled trying to relieve her. Hinata sees that Sakura was unconscious but unharmed. Relieved, Hinata fell back into a lying position.

"Now sleep. You put up a good fight when Gozu and Meizu ambushed you, the others, and Tazuna, so you must still be tired. We're about to enter the Land of Waves."

Hinata raised an eyebrow. She didn't remember fighting back.

"You might not remember, but you actually managed to fight them off when they went after you and Tazuna." Kakashi lied. "I'll tell you more later."

After the Squad landed in the Land of Waves, Kakashi asked if he and Tazuna can talk privately. Though he wanted to know why they were sent on a low-classed mission with powerful Chūnin ninja on it, he was far more focused on what Gozu shouted a few hours ago.

**(Flashback)**

"_Where is the bridge builder?!"_

**_(End Flashback)_**

To Kakashi, that brought into question to what the _true _mission was about. When they both are away from the Genins' hearing range, he grabbed him by the collar, and slammed him against the tree.

"OK, you drunk…" Venom dripped off his every word. "What's really going on here? One of the Oni Brothers demanded where **_YOU _**were. So that means that you're more important than what you say. Spill it."

His glare frightening to scare anyone on the planet. The bridge builder looked down in remorse, and spilled.

"My country is very poor. I couldn't afford a higher ranked mission, so I made it a low level escort mission."

Since he wasn't answering Kakashi's question fast enough, Kakashi reached into his holster, pulled out a kunai, and imbedded it in the tree, a few millimeters from Tazuna's face…. So he answered the actual question.

"I'm wanted by a very dangerous man, who will stop at nothing to kill me. I'm responsible of completing the bridge connecting the Land of Waves to our neighboring country. If I don't complete the bridge, my country will eventually die!"

"SO YOU HAVE A GENNIN TEAM GO UP AGAINST HIGH LEVEL CHUNNINS?!"

Kakashi couldn't control his anger anymore. He threw the bridge builder to then ground in rage.

"I almost lost one of my team back there, you old drunk! And another one almost went on a murderous rampage! This was supposed to be a low C-ranked mission! Not an A-ranked one! Do you know how much danger my team is in, just by being AROUND you?!"

The fuming Jonin was rapidly losing the control so he back off, and leaned against a tree, massaging his temples.

"We're heading back to the Leaf Village immediately. This mission is too dangerous for…"

"No, K…Kakashi-Sensei….." Hearing Naruto's voice, Kakashi turned to see his shy Shinobi standing directly behind him. "W…We should c…complete this m…mission."

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**To Be Continued…**

_**Author's Note: If you guys are wondering, Kakashi acted the way he did because Sakura almost got killed because the bridge builder didn't tell the truth. I hope you enjoyed it and if you are wondering what happened to Hinata, you'll need to wait and see. All will be revieled… Bye Bye!**_


	12. Zabuza Momichi the Rouge Ninja

**_Author's Note: I'm sure all of you are still surprised by what happened to Hinata last chapter right? Here's another chapter. I don't own anything so enjoy._**

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**Zabuza Momochi the Rogue Ninja**

Kakashi and Tazuna looked at Naruto with mixed expressions. Kakashi raised an eyebrow, and folded his arms. Tazuna's mouth hung open and stared in disbelief at the young Shinobi.

"W…We have to c…complete this m…mission, K…Kakashi-Sensei." the blond boy repeated, sounding very quiet and shy. "W…We were assigned to d…deliver T…Tazuna to the L…Land of Waves, and th…that is exactly what we are going to do, if th…that's okay with you." His Sensei shook his head and let out a tired sigh.

"Naruto, you can't be serious..." Naruto frowned at how his sensei groaned at his request. "This started off as a low level C-ranked mission. There was a lot of consideration just for that. What makes you think I would allow my Genin team to proceed on a B or A-ranked mission?" This is a serious matter, Naruto. Assassins of higher ranking will be attacking us if we continue with this mission. And I'm not prepared to risk my team's safety and well being so quickly."

"B…but, Sensei. W…We can h…handle this." blond boy reassured in a pleading tone. "T…The only reason those two j…jerks caught S…Sakura was because she was all alone. Now that we know we are being t…targeted, we can be more prepared."

The Jonin sighed as his shy student started making a list of what he and his teammates would do.

"H…Hinata could keep her Byakugan activated m…more often. I-I could send some of my clones ahead to scout out the area ahead of us. C…come on, K…Kakashi-Sensei. We can do this."

Kakashi massaged his temples in thought. What his shy student was asking is for him to allow mere Genins to take on a mission meant for high leveled Jonin. They barely could handle two Chūnin level ninjas. So what would promote Naruto to think that the team could handle more than that? But when Kakashi was about to refuse his request again, another voice interrupted his response.

"I agree, Kakashi-Sensei…" Everyone turned to see both Sasuke and Sakura walking towards them. "I think we should continue on with the mission." Sasuke says.

Kakashi and Tazuna stared in disbelief at what they were hearing. Sasuke and Sakura are backing up Naruto's word on staying on the A-ranked mission.

"Yeah! Kakashi-Sensei." Sakura rudely agreed, letting out a loud shout. "Now that we know how dangerous this mission is, we can be ready. The only reason they got me was because I thought I wouldn't have to be worried about being attacked. But now that we know, we can be more prepared."

The Jonin let out a big puff of air, and leaned against a tree to think. Hinata had fully recovered and joined the others trying to convince him to continue the mission Minutes felt like hours as Kakashi folded his arms and answered. "If we want to make it to Tazuna's house, we'll have to move quickly." He sighed, looking down the path in front of them. "If there are anymore assassins, we'll have to stay alert. Hinata…" The Hyuga looked up with a triumphant smirk. "You'll take point with me and Naruto. Tazuna will be behind us, with Sasuke and Sakura bring up the rear. I want you to activate your Byakugan every ten minutes. Scan all around them as far as you can, ensuring there is no one in you range of sight."

"YEAH!" Hinata shouted, in her usual tomboyish way.

And, without thinking, she hugs Naruto and starts to jump up and down excitedly. Naruto's face went into the darkest shade of red Kakashi ever saw…or even thought possible. Sakura was having a hard time holding her laughing sensation. Hinata gasped in shock when all of a sudden, Naruto's body folded backwards and toppled down. And even Kakashi couldn't hold back a snicker when Sasuke, Sakura and Tazuna busted out laughing. But it was short-lived. Kakashi knew how much danger they were in if they didn't start moving soon.

"Come on…" He ordered, in a more serious voice. The man reached down and placed his arms underneath Naruto's head and legs…and handed his unconscious body over to Hinata.

"My house is, if I do my math right, at least two hours away if we move now." Tazuna explained, "We should be in there by that time."

Hinata, Sasuke and Sakura had the same thought going in their minds.

_"Wait if we're on an A-ranked mission…"_ They all put a devilish look on their faces, _"I can't wait to see the look of Jotaro's face when I tell him about this."_

**Two Hours Later…**

Two hours has passed since Squad Seven decided to continue on with the mission. Naruto awoke 15 minutes after the incident, and couldn't remember why. Kakashi, wanting to save him from fainting again, told him that he was more tired than he thought. Hinata shot the laughing Sasuke, Sakura and Tazuna a dark glare, the three hesitantly agreed with the lie (Smart move). So, after that was dealt with, the team continued on. And to their relief, they didn't run into anymore assassins.

Fog rolled in suddenly. So thick that if you were in it, the only things you would see was the people around you, and nothing else. Squad Seven and Tazuna continued on until Kakashi broke the silence.

"So…. Why did you need to complete the bridge? And give me details this time." Tazuna looked at the Jonin, and let out a heavy sigh. The four Genins listened intently as Tazuna explained why they were there in the first place.

"In my homeland…there's a man by the name of Gato." Kakashi recognized the name. "Gato is a soulless, cheating, blood-thirsty businessman who took control over the Land of Waves. No one knows where he came from. He just appeared here one day, with a massive army of mercenaries, thugs, and high leveled rogue ninjas."

Naruto, Hinata, and Sakura swallowed in nervousness at the description of Gato. When all five shinobi nodded for Tazuna to continue, the old man removed his straw hat, and continued.

"He now rules the Land of Waves as a dictating tyrant. His mercenaries and thugs run the streets, enforcing his "laws" to the fullest extent. Gato's men kill out of boredom, and they never get in trouble."

Kakashi and the others looked at one another, and then looked at Tazuna again.

"Look…. I'm really sorry I had to trick a Genin team to help me." The bridge builder apologized. "The Land of Waves needs me and my men to complete the bridge separating our lands." He bowed his head. "My people need me…. If my men and I complete the bridge, we might be able to get the help we need. We might be able to get jobs in your land, and earn enough money to save our country from Gato's tyranny. My land is dying, and I am the only one that can save it…."

But the team is unaware that they were being watched. Hidden behind the white fog stood a tall, gray skinned man, wearing a pair of gray camouflage pants; on his torso, he wore nothing. His hard, muscular chest was exposed to the cool air. On his back, there was a large sword, standing nearly eight feet long. Around his head he wore a long gray camouflage scarf. His face was shielded by a black shinobi mask, similar to the one Kakashi's. And his black spiky hair was held up by his mist village headband. The mysterious man watched the six, figuring out who they were.

"Hmm…. We have a Hyuga, huh?" He spoke to himself, in a dark, creepy voice. An evil smirk appeared underneath his mask. "Looks like this won't be as boring as I thought. Those eyes and fighting style of theirs might prove to be a problem." He turned his attention to the Uchiha boy and recognized the symbol on his back. "And an Uchiha. The wielders of the famous Sharigan." He turns to the Haruno girl, "And a Haruno." But his smug attitude completely changed when he saw Naruto Uzumaki. The whisker birthmarks and spiky blond hair caused the assassin's eyes to snap open. "Well, well, well…. This is a surprise. The infamous Jinchuuriki of Hidden Leaf Village, Naruto Uzumaki." He sat down, allowing his legs to dangle from the edge. Then, he saw their sensei. "And, the famous Kakashi Hatake the Copy-Cat Ninja."

He stretched his arms and legs, before getting up. "Looks like this might prove to be a challenge… for once." The masked man started to perform hand signs, and finished by disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Back with the squad, Tazuna was just finishing up by mentioning his daughter and his grandson. He pulled a dirty trick by mentioning how depressed his daughter would be if he died trying to complete the bridge. And how heart broken his grandson would be if his granddad, his only other living relative died. Squad Seven looked down, knowing what the old man was doing, but still imagining what he said. So, the team nodded their head, and continued on with the mission.

Hinata activated her Byakugan, and scanned the immediate area around them. She saw a few rabbits, a couple of foxes and wolfs. Mostly wildlife.

"All clear." Hinata announced, deactivating her All Seeing Eyes.

The fog around them seemed to be getting thicker as they continued towards Tazuna's home. This concerned Naruto.

"U… umm, T…Tazuna-san?" The bridge builder looked down at the shy boy. "Umm… I…is this n…normal? Th…this amount of f…fog?"

Naruto's teammates looked at him funny, but Tazuna raised an eyebrow at the question. He looked around, and scratched the back of his neck.

"Actually, this is strange." He answered. "I mean, the Land of Waves is known for its foggy days. But, only in the right _seasons_." Kakashi's revealing eye popped open at the statement. "While we are close to when we get fog here, it's still at least a whole month until it gets bad. Hmm… maybe it is only…."

"STOP." Tazuna was interrupted by Kakashi. His voice had both a hint of panic and alertness.

His team and Tazuna didn't even question him, and stopped dead in their tracks. His shown eye narrowed as he scanned around them.

"_No…"_ His hands then went into a blur as he started performing hand signs. "Release!" Chakra swirled around his body, and exploded outward. The instant the chakra dispirited into the fog, the fog dissipated. It began to clear up revealing more and more land.

This wasn't regular fog… and Kakashi knew it.

"GET DOWN!" Kakashi cried at the top of his lungs.

The Jonin dived forward, tackling his team and Tazuna. And just in time, too. From out of nowhere, a large sword came spinning out of the dissolving fog, heading straight towards the team. As Kakashi and his team landed on the ground, the large sword imbedded itself four inches into a nearby tree.

Then, as the team rushed to their feet, they heard a large puff of smoke coming from behind them. Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto all reached for their kunai, and surrounded Tazuna in a protective stance.

Standing atop of the imbedded sword stood a tall, muscular man. His back was turned to the team, but she soulless, light brown eyes stayed glued on the six behind them. The wind began to pick up, sending his scarf fluttering in the same direction.

"Well…. It seems that the famous Jonin of the Hidden Leaf Village is getting somewhat rusty."

The mystery man chuckled, hopping off the massive sword. "But don't worry…. I tend to go eye on a good challenge now and again." With one hand, the mist ninja yanked his sword out of the tree, and rammed it into the ground next to him.

Hinata had sparkles in her eyes as she was amazed by the man's long sword.

"That sword is sooo cool!"

Sakura hit Hinata hard on the head with a tick mark on her forehead.

"This is no time to be impressed!"

Kakashi glared at the man. "Zabuza Momochi…. You must be one of Gato's lap dogs, huh?"

Zabuza Momochi's name was well known in almost every village. Known as the "Demon Hidden in the Mist" his way of killing and mastery of Water Jutsu made him famous. Zabuza laughed, and started to do exercise stretches.

"In a way, Hatake…" Kakashi's eyes, along with everyone else's eyes snapped open when they heard Zabuza mention their sensei's last name. "That's right, I know your name. Your reputation as the Copy-Cat Ninja perceives you. I may work for him, but I'm no lapdog. The only reason I didn't kill him is because he offered me the right amount of money." He pulled his sword out of the ground, and dropped into his signature fighting stance.

"What's more surprising is that you wield the famous Sharigan."

Sasuke's head snapped up just hearing the word Sharigan.

_"The Sharigan? One of my clan's power, but how did Kakashi-Sensai get this? Could he be…?"_ Sasuke thought.

Zabuza locked eyes with Kakashi, and sighed. "Today is your lucky day. What I'm going to offer you is a once in a lifetime offer. If you five leave, and give me the old man, I won't kill you or your little Genins. But if you stay… I'll have to kill all of you." Then, there were silence.

Small drops of wind fell from the sky, as the wind began to blow stronger. Kakashi narrowed his eyes, grabbed his headband. Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura also stood their ground, with Naruto ready to perform his Shadow Clone Jutsu. Kakashi moved the headband over his head and opened his left-covered eye. This eye was different from the right eye. It was red with a black pupil and had three extra pupils surrounding it. This is called the Sharigan.

Taking their silence as a refusal, Zabuza sighed. "What a shame…. You all had your futures ahead of you, too."

Then, instantly, Zabuza's body turned into water, and splashed to the ground. But Naruto was prepared. Before Kakashi had a chance to give any orders, Naruto finished the required hand signs.

"M…Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!" He shouted, as multiple puffs of smoke appeared all around them. When the smoke cleared, there were a grand total of 30 Naruto clones surrounding them, all with a kunai in each hand. Kakashi didn't shout at him…. Because that was exactly what he was about to order him to do. Kakashi turned, and looked and Hinata. The Hyuga heiress smirked, and started to perform her own hand signs.

"Byakugan!" The blood vessels around Hinata's eyes sprouted bulged outward, and her colorless pupils expanded. Her Byakugan scanned all around them, scanning for any source of chakra. After a few seconds, she spotted Zabuza, standing on the water in a nearby lake. He was performing hand signs, when two more water clones of him morphed out of the water. "Kakashi-Sensei! Zabuza just created two water clones!"

_"Thank goodness we have a Hyuga."_ Kakashi thought. "OK, Hinata. Keep an eye on him." He then looked at Sakura. "Sakura, I want you and 15 of Naruto's clones to take Tazuna somewhere safe, but somewhere within hearing distance. If you see or sense someone else coming, yell." Sakura nodded her head. She took Tazuna's hand, and led him and the 15 clones off into the forest.

"Here they come, Sensei." Hinata warned, ready to fling her kunai at the charging clones. Zabuza and his two clones charged forward, with their swords held high.

_"Something's up…This isn't his fighting style…"_ Kakashi thought. Sasuke begins to perform hand signs. _"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"_ a second later, red fire erupted from the Uchiha's mouth, and hurled straight at the charging three. The fire struck the two water clones, but the real Zabuza used his massive sword as a shield, protecting himself from the scorching inferno. When the attack subsided, the assassin swung around his sword, and send a barrage of shuriken and kunai at the leaf shinobi. Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke and Kakashi leapt out of the way, dodging all of the thrown projectiles. But six of the 15 clones weren't so lucky.

Zabuza smirked, pulled his sword out of the ground, and charged the ninjas again. _"Hmm…. The blond brat knows Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu, huh? Impressive for a Genin to know a Jonin Jutsu."_ Zabuza, using more impressive speed, dashed forward. All nine of Naruto's clones charged forward to intercept the rouge mist ninja. But Zabuza had more brute strength than you would think. Using his left arm, he swung across him and sent all nine of the clones skidding across the ground, disappearing as they slid. "Impressive trick, kid! But you'll need more than that if you want to slow me down!"

Sasuke growled, and started to perform hands signs. _"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"_ Sasuke shot a barrage of fire at the assassin hitting him in the shoulder.

But to the team's dismay, this Zabuza fell backwards and turned into water. _"What? He was a clone too?"_ Kakashi shouted in his head. In a puff of smoke, Zabuza appeared behind Naruto and Hinata, with his blade resting on their throats. Kakashi, however was a step ahead of him and punched Zabuza in the stomach before he could do any harm. Naruto and Hinata quickly backed away.

"It's over." Kakashi shouted.

The Zabuza only turned into water as the real one appeared behind Kakashi.

"It's over when I say it's over."

Zabuza cut the Kakashi in half though it looked like Kakashi is dead, he turned into water surprising Zabuza.

"What?! A Water Clone!"

Zabuza then remembered that Kakashi had the ability to copy any form of Jutsu in existence thanks to his Sharigan. The real Kakashi appears behind Zabuza with his Kunai knife resting by his throat.

"Unfortunately for you Zabuza. Only the referee gets to say when it's over."

* * *

**_To Be Continued…_**

**_Author's Note: I hope that you guys enjoyed it. I'm really happy because I'm planning on making original stories for Hinata and Jotaro. Especially for Hinata's "friend" inside her. See ya soon!_**


	13. An Unkown Tracker Ninja Appears

**_Author's Note: I don't own anything since they all belong to "Naruto". So enjoy._**

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**An Unknown Tracker Ninja Appears**

Kakashi put his kunai knife to Zabuza's throat.

"It's over Zabuza. You've lost now surrender immediately, otherwise I would be forced to kill you."

Zabuza only began to laugh manically making Kakashi confused.

"What have got to laugh about?"

"It's just like I've said before Kakashi, you must be getting somewhat rusty." Zabuza stated as he turned into water.

"Another Water Clone?!" Hinata shouted.

The real Zabuza appeared in front of Kakashi. Before Kakashi could react, Zabuza punched him in the stomach sending him flying towards the lake. Kakashi realized something when he landed in the water.

"This water, it's damp." He thought.

Zabuza then appeared behind him laughing.

"Honestly Kakashi. I thought you would have seen this coming."

Zabuza then performed hand signs.

"Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!"

A blue sphere of water surrounded Kakashi.

"No…The Water Prison Jutsu!" Kakashi shouted.

"Indeed. This prison is made of water but is as hard as a steel wall. You won't be going anywhere."

"Kakashi-Sensai!" Hinata shouted.

"But as for your Genin students," Zabuza says as he performs a hand sign, "They'll just have to die. Water Style: Water Clone Jutsu."

A water clone appears in front of them and starts walking towards the Genin with his sword drawn.

"Don't hurt them, Momochi!" Kakashi demanded. "They're just children!"

A cold, careless chuckle escaped Zabuza's bandaged mouth. "_Children_ wouldn't have agreed to go on an A-ranked mission. _Children _wouldn't stand up to an enemy, if they didn't want to. They're no less ninjas than you or me, Hatake. "Now, call that old dinosaur out here so I can kill him."

Kakashi didn't say anything since he didn't want the bridge builder to get killed. He doesn't want his own students to get killed either, but it was such a hard decision to make.

"Don't worry about us Kakashi-Sensai!" Hinata shouted, "He can handle this guy."

"Hinata, Naruto, Sasuke, get back to Sakura and Tazuna and run away from here." Hinata, Naruto, and Sasuke had confused looks on their faces at Kakashi's order, "This man is way out of your league, he's was a Jonin before he became a rogue ninja. The battle was over when I got caught so run!"

"No way, sensei." Sasuke disagreed. "You're our Sensai; we'll save you because we are one."

"Oh really…" Zabuza's voice ringed, "Then you would be willing to share the same fate."

Zabuza appeared in front of Hinata and punched her in the stomach knocking her into the air. He then does a stamping attack on her crashing into the ground. Hinata coughed out blood as she loses consciousness.

"H…Hinata!" Naruto shouted.

"I'd be worrying about yourself if I were you." Zabuza said.

Naruto got angry and reached into his bag and got out a strange piece of equipment and threw it to Sasuke.

"S…Sasuke! Heads up!"

Sasuke notices the equipment and grabbed it realizing what it is.

"I get it now Naruto. Great idea!" Sasuke shouted as he activates the equipment.

The tool was shaped like a large shuriken and was almost as big as Sasuke.

"Demon Wind Shuriken!" Sasuke shouted as the large shuriken opened up.

_"A Demon Wind Shuriken? Like that will ever hit me."_ Zabuza thought.

Sasuke jumped into the air and threw the shuriken at Zabuza.

"Take this!"

The shuriken looked like it was heading for the clone Zabuza, but it was actually heading for the real Zabuza who was holding Kakashi inside the Water Prison. Though it looked like that Zabuza had nowhere to dodge the shuriken, at the last second, he jumped over it.

"I told you, that won't work on me!"

Naruto and Sasuke however, smirked as the shuriken was actually one of Naruto's Shadow Clone in disguise. This surprises Kakashi and Zabuza as the Naruto clone threw a kunai knife at the assassin. The kunai knife hit the assassin on the shoulder as he lost grip of the Water Prison. Seeing this as his chance, Kakashi quickly broke out.

Zabuza hissed in pain and performed another set of hand signs. "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

From out of the lake, a large water serpent shot from the water, and moved in front of Zabuza. Zabuza yanked the shuriken from out his shoulder and let out another hiss of pain.

_"Aagh! Guess this is what I get for being reckless_." "Get ready, leaf ninja!" The dragon turned to the three ninjas, and let out a frightening roar. Then he shot towards them, ready to devour all of them. Thinking quickly, Kakashi started performing hand signs.

"Get behind me, you three!" Once Hinata, Sasuke and Naruto got behind him, Kakashi finished his required hand signs. "Earth Style: Earth Wall Jutsu!"

Suddenly, a giant slab of rock busted out of the ground. It was ten feet long, ten feet high, and eight feet thick. But it wasn't enough. When the water dragon smacked against the stone wall, it broke through. The amount of force sent Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, and Kakashi flying backwards, smacking against some trees.

"AARGH!" Kakashi cried, reaching for his arm. His arm took a lot of damage both from the water dragon attack, and from hitting a tree. A small part of blood was steadily streaming out.

When they looked up, the three was horrified to see Zabuza, and two more clones. The tips of their massive blades rested against their throats.

"That was a very cute trick your two students pulled. I'll give them that." The man snarled, narrowing his eyes at the three.

**With Sakura…**

Sakura watched in horror as Zabuza held his blade at Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke's throats. Rage was burning inside her since she was the weakest member of the team. Tazuna notices this.

"Sakura? Is there something wrong?" He asks.

"I…I just hate it! When I can't do anything to help my friends; I don't want to stand on the sidelines anymore and watch others risk their lives!"

Chakra then began to build up in her arms.

"I…I'm going to fight too!"

**With the others…**

"But unfortunately, those were the last trick you'll ever…"

Before Zabuza could finish, suddenly, an open palm made of chakra came swinging towards the three assassins. They couldn't react in time, and were all caught in an unknown attack. Everyone turned to see that it was Sakura's doing. Sakura's large hand wrapped around Zabuza and his two clones, and slammed them against the trunk of a tree. The two clones disappeared in a puff of smoke, but the real Zabuza had to suffer. Sakura had a look of confusion.

"I got him? I got him!" Sakura shouted, and her giant chakra hand tightened around the now trapped mist ninja.

"Great timing, Sakura!" Sasuke said, as he and Naruto helped Kakashi to his feet. Sakura couldn't help but blush at the fact that her crush complimented her. She felt so good that her Inner Self appeared again.

_"Cha! Get Sasuke to compliment your skills, Check!"_

Tazuna ran up, once it was clear that Zabuza wasn't going anywhere. Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the captured Zabuza.

"Now it's over Zabuza. Sakura, give him a tighter squeeze." Kakashi commanded.

"Y-Yes sir." Sakura said.

Sakura wasn't sure if she could manage that since she doesn't even know how she did what she just did. But before Sakura could even get a chance to squeeze harder, two Throwing Needles came flying in from the forest. They found their mark, and both sank into Zabuza's neck. Zabuza let out a dying gasp, before slumping forward. A puff of smoke appeared on the very tree Sakura was holding Zabuza.

When the smoke cleared, it revealed slender boy. He wore a dark green kimono, with a long green scarf wrapped round his neck. Underneath the kimono, he wore a pair of green baggy shorts, and a pair of wooden sandals. His face was shielded from everyone by a white mask, with the symbol of the hidden mist village engraved on it.

"Who are you?" Kakashi demanded, as Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura dashed around Tazuna.

The team stared in astonishment as the masked shinobi leapt from the tree, landing on the ground next to the impaled Zabuza. Kakashi, still nervous, slowly reached for a kunai.

"I'm sorry if I startled you, but this is my job," The masked boy started, using a soft, soothing voice. "My name is Haku, and I'm a Tracker Ninja. My team and I have been tracking Zabuza for some time now, and I just so happened to be in the forest, when I heard you and your team fighting someone."

Feeling more at ease, Kakashi turned to his team and nodded his head, silently telling them to lower their guard.

And when the three Genin lowered their weapons, Haku continued. "I have waited in the trees, watching you combat Zabuza Momochi. If I came in to interfere, I fear I would've lost yet another chance to kill him. But it seems your team of Genin is more skilled then the average Genin team should be."

Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto smiled, and nodded their heads at the kind compliment. Haku then turned to Kakashi. "I'd like to thank you for assisting in the killing of the rogue ninja Zabuza Momochi. And I would really appreciate knowing your names, so I can pass it on to my superior."

The team nodded and gave the masked mist shinobi their names. Haku wrote them down, before bowing his head respectfully. "Thanks again, Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke," he thanked, as he lifted the dead body onto his shoulder. "Zabuza Momochi was too dangerous to be kept alive. And the families damaged by him will know justice has been dealt. Be sure to thank that Hyuga girl over there for putting up a great fight for me. On behalf of my village, I thank you." And with that, Haku and Zabuza's body disappeared in a puff of smoke.

When Haku and Zabuza were gone, the team was left in awkward silence. Sasuke then walked over to the unconcious Hinata and lifted her up. Sakura scratched the back of her head, and chuckled. "Hehheheheee… So, how much further till we get to your house Tazuna?"

**Meanwhile, Deep in the Forest…**

Somewhere, deep in the dark forest, Haku and Zabuza reappeared. The masked boy threw the larger man's body to the ground, looked around, and let out a tired sigh.

"You're getting too reckless, Zabuza. The first thing you taught me was not to let your guard down under any circumstances…" Haku knelt down, and pulled out the two needles in his master's neck. "Wake up, Zabuza."

Zabuza's eyes shot open, and he growled at Haku. "Haku, don't you know how much that hurts?" he asked angrily.

"My apologies, Zabuza, but it was my duty to keep them from killing you. Besides, I've learned quite a bit by watching them," Haku said in his deceivingly feminine voice.

Zabuza grinned. "Good. Now carry me back to the base. My body won't move yet," he ordered, half amused, half pissed off.

* * *

**To Be Continued...**

**_Author's Note: Okay, this took a while but it's done. One question that's been constantly torturing me. Is Haku a boy or a girl because even thought he/she looks like a girl, he/she states that he/she is a boy? Which one is it?! Anyway I hope that you enjoyed it._**


	14. Kakashi's Unfortunate Theory

**_Author's Note: Hello again, I just came back from a football game and we won! I'm sorry that you guys are disappointed by the "damp water" statement. I'll have to admit I did badly there. So here's another chapter so enjoy._**

* * *

**Kakashi's Unfortunate Theory**

**With Squad Seven…**

Sasuke carried the unconscious Hinata on his back. The team, after 20 more minutes of walking, had just entered the port town of The Land of Waves, and was appalled at what they saw. The city Tazuna lived in was filled with poor people, trash, and random thugs, brandishing katana swords on their waists. There were people huddling around fires that were burning in garbage cans. There were merchants selling little and indecent produce, at deadly high prices. Kids were running through the streets, wearing rags and barefoot. Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto were stunned.

"This is terrible…" Sakura whispered, in a deadly silent whisper. "You mean to tell me that this is how Gato runs this country?" The bridge builder looked at her with sorrow filled eyes, and nodded.

"Yes…" Tazuna answered, taking off his straw hat and wiping the sweat off of his forehead. "Gato rules with dictatorship, and doesn't give a damn about the people of this country. His immense wealth allows him to rule here. And no one ever had the courage to stand up to him, not since…" He stopped, not wanting to bring up that subject. "If you disobeyed the laws of this country, that monster would hold a public execution to make an example." Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura looked at the old man with shock, as Kakashi merely squeezed his fists in rage.

Sakura frowned at the thugs who were staring at them. "This isn't right… Other villages should have come to your aid," she mumbled, sticking her tongue out at the small group of thugs. One scowled, and was about to march toward them, when the one beside him stopped him. That one then whispered something into his ear, saying something that caused the first thug to step back into the group.

"The country is ruled by a tyrant. He has worthless thugs and mercenaries terrorizing the people, and is causing them to live in poverty. Somebody should have done something by now." Sasuke stated.

Tazuna allowed a small smile to appear on his face… but he followed up by shaking his head. "It wouldn't matter. Gato would just find a different way to make the people of this land suffer. The only way this country will ever be freed is when that monster stops breathing."

Naruto was about to add something, when a small tug came at the hem of his coat. The blond boy turned around, and saw a small homeless girl. Just like all of the other children of the Land of Waves, she wore raggy clothes. There were dirt spots on her face, and her black hair was messy and untamed. The girl extended her hands and opened them, as if she was asking for something. But unlike a large majority of her fellow people, this homeless girl had on a small, innocent smile.

Naruto, with a nervous smile on his face, reached into his pocket and pulled out some coins. "Umm… h-here you go…" he stuttered, dropping the silver coins into the little girl's hands. "I hope it's e-enough."

Then, before he knew it, the little girl leapt forward and gave Naruto a tight hug. Then she ran off, turning down an alley. Seeing this, Tazuna couldn't help but chuckle.

"Ya see? I never saw anyone do anything like that here. People are either too poor or too cruel and ignorant to show such kindness." Naruto blushed, and shrugged his shoulders. "We need more people like you… People who would make an effort to help this land, besides me and some of my friends." As the team made their way through the dirt-poor town, they came across a couple of thugs, who were harassing an old woman.

"OK, lady. Cough up this month's pay," one growled, as he leaned forward and held himself up by the woman's house. "We've been real patient with you this entire month, and feel you have had enough time. So if you'd be so kind, please cough up the money." Kakashi and the others stopped in the middle of the street, and witnessed the two heartless men hustle the old lady.

The woman was somewhere around 70-80 years old. She was shaking like a leaf, as she held herself up with her cane. "Please… Business has been bad," she pleaded, her voice low and shaky. But the men in front of her simply rolled their eyes. "I'm sorry, but I need more time."

"Well, I'm sorry to have to tell you this…" one of the thugs sighed, as he and his friend slowly reached for their swords. "But our boss doesn't give second chances. His rule is if someone can't produce enough money, get rid of them and replace them with someone younger and better. And while you were useful to our boss for a while… I fear that your usefulness had run out. So come with us, and you won't get h…"

All of a sudden, a puff of smoke appeared behind them. Before the men could react, something sharp and cold pressed up against their throats. "Sorry gentlemen, but this has gone on long enough…" They suddenly heard a male's voice coming from behind them. And when the smoke finally cleared, Kakashi was revealed, with a kunai pressed against both of the thugs' jugular veins. "Now, either both of you boys turn, and never bother this woman again, or I can take your heads off, right here, right now." Venom was dripping off of every word the Jonin spoke. Shivers of terror went down the thugs" spines, as Kakashi pressed the blades closer to their throats. "So, which one will it be?"

At first, neither of the thugs did anything. They looked at each other nervously, their eyes bulging out and sweat dripping down their faces. And after ten seconds without getting a response, Kakashi pressed the cold sharpened steel even harder against their necks. This got one of them to comply. "OK! OK! We're as good as gone!" he cried, worried for his life. When Kakashi looked at the other one, he nodded, agreeing with his partner.

So with a heavy sigh, Kakashi took the kunai from their necks and stepped back. The two thugs coughed and massaged the part of their neck that almost got sliced. And without giving Kakashi a death threat or glaring at him, the two men ran off frantically, causing the villagers to look at the team with suspicion. They've seen shop owners and villagers running for their lives before, but never had they seen Gato's men running for anything. Kakashi scoffed, put his two kunai in his pouch, and turned to speak with the old woman. But to his surprise, she wasn't there. Right before Gato's men ran off, the elderly woman retreated back into her home/store.

"She's grateful for what you've done," Tazuna reassured, placing a hand on Kakashi's shoulder. "But people here do their best not to stand out. Because anyone who's seen conversing with someone who defies Gato's laws is seen as just as guilty as those who defy him." Tazuna's statement was proven right when all of the nearby villagers retreated into their homes as well. When Kakashi saw all the villagers go into their houses, Tazuna looked down and sighed.

"Come on… We should get to my house before word spreads about you guys," he said, leading the ninja team in the direction of his house.

That was when Hinata finally woke up holding her head in pain.

"Oww… What happened?"

Kakashi turned to his awakened student and smiled.

"Well after Zabuza knocked you out, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and I worked our butts off to beat him."

Hinata had a look of shock on her face as she jumped off Sasuke.

"What?! You beat Zabuza without me?!"

**At Tazuna's House…**

It was another hour of walking after the run in with the thugs, and the team finally arrived at Tazuna's house. It was a simple two story house, right on the water. They entered, and were immediately greeted by a woman with long dark blue hair, wearing a pink shirt, and a blue skirt.

"Dad! You're home!" she cried happily, as she caught her father in a crushing hug. "I'm so glad you made it back safe and sound. Did anything happen on the way?" Tazuna looked at his daughter, Tsunami, and smiled.

"Besides a few… unsuspected instances… everything went just fine." The woman looked at her father with a stern look, and put her hands on her hips.

"What does that mean?"

The woman turned to Kakashi. "We ran into a few things that slowed us down, but we dealt with them in a quick and efficient way," Kakashi answered, bowing respectively to the older woman. Hinata smiled devilishly, and jumped in.

"YEAH!" She cried loudly, causing Tsunami to jump back in surprise. "We took on two wimpy ninjas and some famous rouge ninja named Zabuza Momochi… and won!"

Naruto blushed at Hinata's tomboyish attitude. But then, all of a sudden, Hinata hooked an arm around Naruto's head and gave him a friendly noogie. "Isn't that right, Naruto?"

Kakashi and Tsunami smiled at seeing Naruto turn red as a lobster. She'd only known these people for about three minutes, and already she could tell that Naruto secretly liked Hinata.

"It doesn't matter how strong you are. Gato will find a way to get to my grandpa, and nothing is going to stop him." Everybody turned to see a young boy, standing on the stairway.

He wore a plain white shirt, green overalls, and a white hat with two blue stripes on it, and had short black hair. And he had an emotionless expression on his face.

"Inari, behave yourself!" Tazuna demanded, with the boy's expression not changing a bit. "These ninja just saved me from being killed by highly trained ninjas on two different occasions! So show them some respect." But the boy simply turned around and went to his room, leaving the team confessed.

"Who was that?" Hinata asked, releasing Naruto from her hold. Tsunami looked sadly at the young Shinobi, and sighed.

"Please excuse Inari. He's been through a lot because of Gato," she began, with a sad look in her eyes. "A couple of years ago… he lost someone very close to him because of Gato."

A thought suddenly came to Kakashi.

"Wait a second…" he said getting everyone's attention.

"Wh…What's wrong K…Kakashi-Sensai?" Naruto asks.

"It's just that something's been bothering me. Do you remember that Tracker Ninja who killed Zabuza?"

"A tracker ninja?" Hinata asks in confusion.

"Yeah, it happened while you were unconscious," Sasuke explained, "A Tracker Ninja killed Zabuza and took his body and disappeared."

"We were lucky that he showed up when he did." Sakura stated.

"I don't think that we should push our luck because I've got bad news. Zabuza may still be alive." Kakashi stated surprising everyone.

"What?!" Everyone shouted.

"Th…There's no way Kakashi-Sensai," Sakura shouted, "We all saw the Zabuza get hit by those Throwing Needles."

"That alone should have killed him." Hinata shouts.

"No, Throwing Needles can kill the target, but sometimes it can knock the target unconscious while imitating death. Plus, Tracker Ninjas usually extract chakra from the dead body right on the spot, but this Tracker Ninja took Zabuza to a different spot. And that concludes that Zabuza is still alive and is planning for his next attack."

Everyone sat in shock of Kakashi's theory backed up with evidence. The fact that Zabuza is still alive is true and the Tracker Ninja named Haku is probably working with the assassin. Kakashi then stood up.

"Hinata, Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke. Follow me; we're going to do something special."

**In a Forest…**

All of Squad Seven is out as Kakashi begins his plan.

"Alright! Here's what we're planning on doing. We're going to train on learning to control our chakra."

Everyone put a look of confusion on their face.

"To control our catra?" Hinata asks.

"It's chakra Hinata." Sakura says correcting Hinata.

"Yes, if you can control your chakra, not only will you be able to perform Justus more easily; you'll be able to learn new types of Jutsu more easily." Kakashi explains.

"That's should be easy, so how do we learn to control our chakra," Sasuke asks.

"Well, all you need to do…" Kakashi points to a tree, "is to climb the tallest tree you can…"

"That should be easy." Hinata states with a goofy grin.

"…without using your hands."

Everyone's mouths dropped at that statement. How is one supposed to climb a tree with their feet?

"It may seem hard, but activating the right Jutsu will become easy once you've mastered you chakra. It's done like this."

Kakashi walks up to a tree and focuses his chakra towards his feet. Then he started walking on the tree like it was nothing. This startles everyone since they have never seen anything like this before.

* * *

**To Be Continued…**

**_Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed that chapter and I'll see you next time._**


	15. Tree Climbing and Sakura's Request

**Tree Climbing and Sakura's Request**

"Well, all you need to do…" Kakashi points to a tree, "is to climb the tallest tree you can…"

"That should be easy." Hinata states with a goofy grin.

"…without using your hands."

Everyone's mouths dropped at that statement. How is one supposed to climb a tree with their feet?

"It may seem hard, but activating the right Jutsu will become easy once you've mastered you chakra. It's done like this."

Kakashi walks up to a tree and focuses his chakra towards his feet. Then he started walking on the tree like it was nothing. This startles everyone since they have never seen anything like this before.

"I'm pretty sure that at least one of you will be able to do this on the first try."

Hinata, Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto get into a running stance. All of them run towards a tree to climb it. Naruto immediately fell down after running on the tree while Sasuke fell down two seconds afterwards. Hinata and Sakura were the only ones who were able to not only climb the tree, but stand upside down on the branches. This surprises Naruto and Sasuke as Hinata and Sakura stuck there tongues out goofily.

"Impressive…" Kakashi says, "So the girls of this team are better than the boys. I'm surprised." Kakashi turns to Naruto and Sasuke, "I'm sure you boys will be here for a while. Hinata, Sakura, you two will be protecting the bridge builder tomorrow."

Hinata was excited that she got to protect the bridge builder again; Sakura however, had a look of sadness on her face.

"What's wrong Sakura?" Hinata asks the Haruno.

"Kakashi-Sensai." Sakura called.

"Yes Sakura." Kakashi asks.

"I…I want to train some more."

This statement surprises Kakashi.

"You see, after seeing you guys risk you lives against Zabuza, I felt like I'm nothing but a burden. So I want to train as hard as Naruto and Sasuke."

Kakashi didn't say a word since he was still shocked by Sakura's request. Minutes felt like hours as Naruto and Sasuke continued climbing the trees.

"Very well then Sakura, follow me. We'll train somewhere else."

Sakura began following Kakashi-Sensai deep into the forest. Kakashi then stopped in a wide-open field and faced Sakura.

"Sakura, do you remember that special chakra that you used during the battle with Zabuza."

Sakura instantly remembered what she did to Zabuza.

**(Flashback)**

"But unfortunately, those were the last trick you'll ever…"

Before Zabuza could finish, suddenly, an open palm made of chakra came swinging towards the three assassins. They couldn't react in time, and were all caught in an unknown attack. Everyone turned to see that it was Sakura's doing. Sakura's large chakra hand wrapped around Zabuza and his two clones, and slammed them against the trunk of a tree. The two clones disappeared in a puff of smoke, but the real Zabuza had to suffer. Sakura had a look of confusion.

"I got him? I got him!" Sakura shouted, and her giant chakra hand tightened around the now trapped mist ninja.

**(End Flashback)**

"Yeah I do. I don't know what kind of Jutsu that was."

"I believe I have the answer."

Sakura's head shot up at the statement.

"If I was told correctly…What you did was once an ancient Jutsu called…" Kakashi cocks his head trying to remember. Kakashi finally remembered, "Yes! It was called the Angel's Arm Jutsu. Even though you didn't perform any hand signs, you were able to use this Jutsu. If I know my information right, I believe only Haruno clan members are able to use this."

"The Angel's Arm Jutsu…" Sakura says solemnly.

"Even though you can use this Jutsu, you'll need to build up body strength to do that effectively."

"How can I do that Kakashi-Sensai?"

"It's simple." Kakashi takes out a black jacked and throws it at Sakura. "Put this jacket on.

"Okay."

But when Sakura caught the jacket, it pulled her to the ground. Sakura could barely lift it up, but it was like carrying a heavy rock.

"Wh-What's with this jacket Kakashi?" Sakura asks putting the jacket on.

She was having a hard time standing up due to the weight.

"It is a special jacket that I wore during my training years ago. It's as heavy as ten bricks and is useful for building body strength."

"So what do I need to do with this jacket on?"

"I'm sure that you remember. Like last time," Kakashi takes out a bell, "You need to take this bell from me with that jacket on."

Sakura's mouth dropped in shock at what she was supposed to do. It was hard enough to take the bells away from him before but with a heavy jacket on?

"Don't worry Sakura, if you keep at it, it may take about a week. Are you ready?" Kakashi got into a running stance away from Sakura.

"R…Ready." Sakura was already struggling from the extra weight.

"GO!"

Sakura tried to run but with the heavy jacket on, she could only walk slowly. Kakashi however mocked her by simply walking away from her. This irritates her so much that her Inner self appeared.

_"Cha! Kakashi-Sensai, just wait until I get my hands on you!"_

**With Naruto and Sasuke…**

Naruto and Sasuke were still struggling from climbing the trees while Hinata watched them. Sasuke became a little frustrated and walked over to Hinata with Naruto watching with a little confusion.

"Hey Hinata," Sasuke says with a whisper, "You're good at this, so how did you do it?"

Hinata at first had a confused look on her face but then whispered in his ear.

"Got it! Thanks!"

**Nighttime at Tazuna's House…**

Hinata, Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto were eating their food along with Tazuna and his family at an extremely fast pace. Even though it's understandable that Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto worked really hard and they got a giant appetite, Hinata eating a lot even though she didn't work at all was questionable. Everyone understood that Hinata's always had a big appetite.

"I'd say that it will take about one whole week before the bridge is finished and our nightmare will be over."

"Of course. During that time, Hinata will be protecting you while Naruto and Sasuke work on climbing trees and Sakura training with me."

Inari however, became angry at the fact that everyone is stating that they can become stronger so casually.

"Why…Why do you still try to delay the inevitable?!" Inari's loud voice ringed. "It doesn't matter how strong you get! Gato will find a way to kill grandpa, and nothing is going to stop him!"

"Inari! That's no way to talk to guests during dinner!" Tsunami's voice ringed as loud as Inari's, "Besides these people are willing to put their lives on the line to help us, even when your grandfather lied to them!"

Inari didn't say anything; only stood up and left the room. Everyone was confused by what took place.

"Tazuna, do you know what happened to make that boy like he is?"

"Indeed I do. A couple of years ago… he lost someone very close to him because of Gato. Inari was playing near the lake, when some other kids came along and pushed him off a dock and into the water. He couldn't swim, and he needed help. Then he came and saved him… A man named Kaiza." The team listened to the interesting story.

"He jumped in and saved him. And as time passed, Inari began to see him as a father figure. Inari loved him very much, and he cared for him as an actual father. Kaiza was considered a true hero here. He helped save lives and all that good stuff. He made everybody feel happy and gave them confidence." Tsunami and Tazuna took a second and smiled at the remembrance of Kaiza. But their smiles disappeared in a flash.

"But then, Gato came. He was determined to rule the Land of Waves, and used his power to force the people to obey his laws. But Kaiza was the one person that wouldn't obey or surrender. So, Gato had his thugs go get him and take him to the courtyard. And then… they held a public execution, showing what would happen to those who would think about going against his orders. Inari was in the crowd, and saw the death of his father. He hasn't been the same since. He started acting out, and then gave up hope on ever being free from Gato."

Everyone stood in awkward silence. They didn't know what to say by this point. This was a lot to hear in one day, not to mention what they had just witnessed firsthand. Kakashi sighed and looked out the window, as it began to rain.

_"This isn't right,"_ he thought, as he began to pace. _"This man Gato should have been killed a long time ago. And if he's trying to get rid of the Tazuna, then my team and I have more work to do."_

**In Inari's Room…**

Inari sat on his window sill, silently crying. His feet were dangling off the side of his window, getting drenched by the falling rain. But he didn't care. He was too sad and miserable to care about getting wet.

"It's hopeless," he whimpered to himself, as his tears stared mixing with the rain. "No matter how hard we try, Gato will never stop. Nothing will ever stop him from ruining our lives. Soon enough, he'll take away my grandpa, just like Papa."

"Th…That's why we're here." All of a sudden, Inari heard another voice from behind him. He turned, and saw Naruto, leaning in his doorway. He looked at him with a tired gaze, while Inari wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Wh…Why do you think that G…Gato is some sort of unkillable g…god, wh…when he is nothing more th…than a wealthy criminal," he asked, raising an eyebrow as he scratched the back of his neck. "He isn't im…immortal, you know. He can die too. The only question is wh…why do you seem to think that things will never get better."

Inari scowled at the Shinobi. "Because he's too powerful, that's why!" he countered, using an angry tone, though he was still holding back tears. "He has the money to do whatever he wants! He has the money to have people killed! He has an army of mercenaries that will do whatever he orders!" Tears started running down his face again.

"S…So what?" Naruto asked. Inari looked up at him, shocked at how casual he sounded. "M…My team and I can handle anything." Seeing that the boy wasn't convinced, he smiled a bit. "We h…handled two Chūnin-level assassins and _Z…Zabuza Momochi_," he said. Inari looked surprised at hearing this. He had heard about him. He was well known.

But Inari shook his head and walked back to his window. "It doesn't matter," he repeated, getting back up on the window sill. "So what if you beat those guys? There are many more just like them, all working for Gato. It is only a matter of time before they get Grandpa."

"C…Can't you at l…least lighten up?" Naruto nearly shouted. "W…We won't let anything h…happen to him! If we can handle Z…Zabuza Momochi, the D…Demon in the Mist, I'm s…sure we can h…handle a mean business man."

"You don't know what he is capable of!" Inari shouted back. "He has no heart, no soul, and shows no remorse for anything he does! I've seen his men kill children my age, in front of their own parents! Every day, somewhere, someone is dying because of Gato! We have tried to fight against him, but that ended in the death of Kaiza, my father! How can you understand what it's like to go through all of that?"

Tick marks appeared on Naruto's fore head as he walked towards Inari.

"You'll never understand what it feels like to be treated like dirt and ignored!"

But then, Naruto punched to boy in the face and gave him a look of rage. Naruto had never been like this before. Naruto looked at Inari, who was now glaring at him with fear and tear stained eyes. But he countered his glare with his own.

"You're wrong. I know full well what its like," he answered calmly, but kept his stern gaze. "In fact, I've been through worse." The young boy raised an eyebrow. "I'm an orphan. I had no one looking over me my entire life. I was kicked out of orphanage when I was six, and left to fend for myself. And for reasons I know nothing about, I had been beaten by villagers since then." Inari went silent, so Naruto continued.

"You are lucky, because unlike me, you still have a mother and grandfather who love you and care about you. I don't have any of that. So stop crying and be grateful." Naruto's tone grew louder, "Be grateful for the fact that we are here to make sure nothing happens to Tazuna! Be grateful that when the bridge is complete, everything will be better!" Naruto knew he was laying it down pretty thick, but he had to speak his mind. Inari was speechless. He merely stared at Naruto as he turned to leave.

Naruto walked downstairs after blowing up at Inari. Kakashi and the others were waiting in the living room, having heard everything. Tsunami looked at the boy with an angry glare, as did Kakashi.

"You were out of line, Naruto," Kakashi said, as Tsunami went up to see her son. "You had no grounds to say such hurtful things to Inari. He may not have gone through what you have, but you need to respect the fact that he lost a father-figure. Everyone copes differently."

"S…Sorry, but it had to be said," He sighed, making his way to Hinata, Sasuke and Sakura. When he sat down, he looked at his three comrades, who were staring at him. "WH…What is it?"

"Oh! Nothing," Sakura said, looking away in panic. "Just a little surprised at how you went off on the poor kid."

"He needs to grow up," Sasuke countered, as he folded his arms across his chest. "He's crying about losing his father and how it is hopeless for things to change, when we are here to fix that very problem. Besides…Naruto was only pointing out that his life isn't so bad compared to others." Sasuke tried not to look at Naruto, since his life too could be compared as well.

"Well," Kakashi sighed, stretching his arms, "I guess we can do some training while we wait. We've got an entire week of training and protecting the bridge builder."

* * *

**To Be Continued…**

**_Author's Note: I know that many of you have questions so I'll try to answer them before you ask them._**

**_"Does the Angel's Arm belong to you?" Yes it does._**

**_"How come Naruto acted the way he did to Inari?" Because he didn't like the fact that Inari says that Naruto doesn't know what he's been through. He will act like that when people say that to him._**

**_"How can training in heavy weight make Sakura stronger?" It will help her build up speed and strength. She will get the bell sooner than a week passes; the rest will be spent on forming her chakra to expand._**

**_I hope you all enjoyed this chapter._**


	16. Haku the Mysterious BoyGirl

**_Author's Note: Hey everyone. I need to tell you all this; after this chapter, I'm taking a break from the story. Don't me wrong I'm still going to keep going. I'm not quitting on the story. I have other stories I need to update. Please enjoy this chapter._**

* * *

**Haku the Mysterious Boy/Girl**

"Alright I got the bell!" Sakura shouted with a smile and a bell in her hand.

It has only been two days since her training began and she actually got the bell from Kakashi. Kakashi was really surprised that she got used to the heavy weight at such a short time.

"Impressive…It's only been two days and she's was able to take my bell away from me. Now she's ready to learn the full extent of the Angel's Arm Jutsu." Kakashi thought as he walked over to congratulate Sakura. "Well done Sakura. Now it's time to train on focusing our chakra towards your arms."

Sakura had a confused look.

"And how do I do that again?"

Kakashi sighed at the question and raised his arm.

"All you have to do is focus your chakra to your arm, just like you did with climbing the trees with your feet." Kakashi explained.

"Okay."

Sakura raises her arm and tried to focus her chakra towards her arm. The same chakra long arm extended and raised high in the sky.

"Now try to hit that tree."

Sakura turns to a tree and tries to hit it, but the attack misses.

"Keep trying Sakura and concentrate."

Sakura tries again countless times. After a few misses, she finally hit the tree. She hits it again to make sure it wasn't a fluke.

"Good job Sakura. Now you are ready to defend the bridge builder."

"Wait Kakashi, I'd like to train as much as Naruto and Sasuke are. So can I still train for a little while longer?"

Kakashi is surprised by the fact that Sakura wanted to train harder than before. Running with a heavy training jacket is one thing, but chakra training is another. Kakashi then sighed and turned to his determined student.

"Very well then Sakura, you can still train, BUT, You need to be careful of how much chakra you use. If you overuse your chakra, there will only be possibility of death for you."

"Right Sensai! Thank you!"

"No problem." Kakashi walks off leaving Sakura alone to train by herself.

With Naruto and Sasuke…

Naruto and Sasuke were making progress but still couldn't make it all the way to the top.

"This is really difficult." Sasuke says.

Naruto then walked over to Sasuke.

"H…Hey S…Sasuke." Naruto says weakly.

"Yes Naruto?"

Naruto then starts blushing.

"Y-You know…you asked H…Hinata for advice wh…when she was here? S…So what did sh…she tell you?"

Sasuke then had a devious look on his face since he decided to mess with Naruto a bit.

"Well Naruto…She told me that she liked boys with…blond spiky hair."

Sasuke began laughing after Naruto went darkish red with nervousness since he believed what Sasuke said.

"Alright…Calm down Naruto…" Sasuke was holding his sides since they hurt from his hard laughter. "I was just teasing you. What Hinata really told me was that to control you chakra…"

**(Flashback)**

Hinata explains to Sasuke after he asked her the question.

"In order to control your chakra, you need to make sure that you are always calm and make sure not to panic. That way you can focus more and control how you chakra flows." Hinata explained.

**(End Flashback)**

Sasuke quickly stood up again and got ready to try again.

"You ready Naruto?"

"R…Ready!"

They both again started working hard to climb the trees.

**4 Days Later…**

It was morning time at Tazuna's house; everyone was at the table ready to eat breakfast. Everyone but Naruto. Sakura then had a look of worry for the boy.

"I hope Naruto's okay; it's not like him to just stay up all night working hard." Sakura says.

"Plus the fact that overusing his chakra could kill him." Hinata stated.

Sasuke then got out of his seat and started walking towards the door.

"I guess I'll go look for him." Sasuke stated in a bored tone.

"Sasuke, you haven't eaten you breakfast." Sakura turned to Sasuke's plate to see that the food disappeared in an instant. "Wow…That was fast."

**In the Forest…**

A woman with long raven hair and pick Japanese clothing walked through the forest picking herbs. She then notices an unconscious figure and walks over towards it. The figure was Naruto who was asleep due to overworking last night. She quickly recognized him since she was the Tracker Ninja with the mask.

**(Flashback)**

The team nodded and gave the masked mist shinobi their names. Haku wrote them down, before bowing his head respectfully.

"Thanks again, Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke," he thanked, as he lifted the dead body onto his shoulder. "Zabuza Momochi was too dangerous to be kept alive. And the families damaged by him will know justice has been dealt. Be sure to thank that Hyuga girl over there for putting up a great fight for me. On behalf of my village, I thank you." And with that, Haku and Zabuza's body disappeared in a puff of smoke.

**(End Flashback)**

Haku crouched down near Naruto's body and extended her hand. Though it looked like she was going to kill him, she actually nudged Naruto trying to wake him up.

"Hey, little boy. You're going to get a cold sleeping like this. Wake up."

Naruto's eyes slowly opened and he blushed when he saw Haku. He immediately crawled away from and tried to hide behind a tree. Though he got the hiding part backwards since he was suppose to be behind the tree not beside it.

"Wh…Who are you?"

"I'm a fair lady going through these woods to pick herbs. You can come over here; I won't bite."

She gave Naruto a friendly smile making him blush.

"So what are you doing out here young boy?"

"M…My name is N…Naruto Uzumaki and I'm out h…here training to become strong."

"So you a Leaf Ninja because I notice your headband there."

"O…Oh you did? Y…Yes I'm a Leaf ninja, and s…someday I'll become th…the greatest H…Hokage and to sh…show a certain s…someone th…that I'm st…stronger."

"A Hokage…and you are doing this for this certain someone or for yourself?"

Naruto was confused at Haku's question.

"F…For someone?" Naruto blushes thinking that Haku is talking about Hinata.

"Yes. When you strive to protect someone you care about, it can make you even more powerful than you are now. I'm sure you'll become a great Hokage one day." Haku smiled as she picked up her basket and leaves. "Goodbye, I'm sure that we'll meet again one day. Oh and by the way…I'm a boy."

Naruto was very surprised at this. _"What?! He's just as pretty as Hinata!"_ Naruto thought.

As Haku walks off, she and Sasuke passed each other. Sasuke suddenly got a strange feeling about her as he notices Naruto confused.

_"I know I've seen a lot of weird things but this one takes the cake."_

Sasuke interrupted Naruto's train of thought. "Hey Naruto, what were you thinking working all night long. Overusing you chakra will kill you, ya know.

"I-I know S…Sasuke. Th…Thanks for worrying about m…me." Naruto turns to the same tree from before. "A…Are you r…ready Sasuke?"

Sasuke smiled at Naruto's determined question. "Ready when you are."

Later That Night…

Naruto and Sasuke are at the top of the trees with Naruto panting. They finally did it; they mastered their chakra control.

"Let's go back." Sasuke says.

"Alright." Naruto says.

**Deep in a Forest Somewhere…**

Deep in the forest, there was a large hideout hidden in a large tree. It was basically an oversized tree house, but made of steel and iron. It was the same size as a house, but the leaves concealed it. Inside, Zabuza Momochi lay in a large bed fully healed. Beside him, Haku stood, with an herbal drink to boost Zabuza's strength. Then, a knock came at the large oak doors. "What is it?" Zabuza growled.

The doors flew open, and in walked a short man, with messy, spiky brown hair, glassed and a black business suit. Behind him followed two thugs, armed with Katana swords. "Well, well… I had to see it to believe it," the short man began, sounding disappointed. "Zabuza Momochi, the most feared shinobi in the Land of Waves, bested by a Jonin and four snot-nosed kids. I never forgot that news."

Then from out of nowhere, a shuriken flew in and struck the wall, right beside Gato's head. Haku was the one who threw it. "Watch your tongue, _Gato_, before I chop it off."

While Gato's men stood in front of him, with their swords drawn, Zabuza chuckled and raised a hand.

"That's enough, Haku. I can handle this," he said, causing the boy to step back. When it was clear a fight wasn't going to happen, Gato ordered his men to step back. "I admit. I underestimated that Genin team. They were more skilled than I anticipated." Gato raised an eyebrow, as he witnessed Zabuza's smile through his bandaged face. "But that won't happen again."

"And the old bridge builder?" Gato asked. "I am paying you a handsome fee to dispose him for me. And I expect to see results… TODAY!"

But while he was ordering the dangerous man around like some lowly servant, Zabuza noticed that Gato was shaking. This caused Zabuza to laugh.

"You are a funny little man, Gato," he chuckled as he stood up. "You order me, Zabuza Momochi, around like a dog, but you are wise enough to not forget to fear Haku and me… You are a lucky man. Lucky that I pride myself on my work more than what you think of me." Then, flexing his muscles, the Rouge Ninja reached and grabbed his massive sword.

"Zabuza," Haku began, walking up beside Zabuza, "are you sure you're ready? You still need to recover more." The large man snickered, and threw his sword over his shoulder.

"Thanks Haku, but I'm okay. Now that we know what we're dealing with, we can handle them…" After finishing his herbal drink, he made his way to the large oak door with Haku by his side. "We have an old man to kill."

* * *

**To Be Continued…**

**_Author's Note: I'll make this clear: While Haku has his/her mask on, he/she is a boy; while he/she doesn't have the mask on, he/she is a girl._**

**_I hope that you are not mad at the fact that I'm taking a break from this story, but I promise that I will return._**

**_I also hope you're not mad at the fact that Sakura got Kakashi's bell in two days, which shows how hard she really worked._**

**_Please be patient until the next chapter. While you're waiting, you can see my other stories:_**

**_Jeremy's and Jordan's Pokemon Adventure_**

**_One Piece's Third Generation Pirates (Season 1: Gather a Crew)_**

**_One Piece: New Generation_**

**_The Heart and Soul of a Knight: The Search for Loved Ones_**

**_Please review and See ya Soon!_**


	17. Revived Hope: Showdown at the Bridge

**Author's Note: I know that I said that I was going on break in the last chapter, but I can't help but ease up all of your suspence. What I mean you ask. Just read and you'll find out. I don't own anything but Hinata's "Little friend," since they belong to "Naruto". Enjoy.**

**Haku with mask on: Boy**

**Haku without mask: Girl**

**Revived Hope: Showdown at the Bridge**

**The Next Day...**

Naruto was running through the forest as fast as his legs could take him. He had the sinking feeling it wasn't going to be a good day. He had acquired a sixth sense about it as a kid and it was sending signals like wildfire! He woke up late to find that the others were gone, beat down two of Gato's thugs who were planning on kidnapping Tazuna's daughter, and were going to kill Inari, who wanted to save her. Luckily, Naruto saved the boy, was able to stop the thugs and gave Inari a nice compliment in his bravery. Now, it's time to help his friends.

"Please let me not be too late!"

**_At the Bridge…_**

Naruto had arrived just in the nick of time since Zabuza had appeared. Seeing that Naruto had arrived sent Zabuza a signal that the two lap dogs of Gato had failed their mission.

"I guess I should have expected this," Zabuza sighed, as Squad Seven stood in between him and Tazuna. "Those pathetic thugs Gato sent to kill the woman and child weren't much in the first place. Just a couple of imbeciles with knives." He then took another look at the team of Leaf bi. Kakashi had a kunai in both hands, with explosive tags attached to them. Naruto had summoned a couple of shadow clones, also carrying kunai. Hinata had activated her Byakugan and was in her clan's signature fighting stance. Sasuke stood in a fighting pose and Sakura stood right beside Tazuna, with her Angel's arms ready.

"I'm not surprised you're still alive, Zabuza," Kakashi hissed. "I remember that "Tracker Ninja" dragged you off after throwing those needles into your neck. It was convincing, at first. But it was when he picked you up and left when I knew something was up." Zabuza folded his arms across his chest, wanting Kakashi to explain more. "Tracker Ninja _never_ bring the bodies of Rouge Ninja with them. They always cut the head off for proof, then dispose of them on the spot, usually with fire ninjutsu. But I assume that since you're still alive, that could only mean that Haku is with you, and isn't a real Tracker Ninja."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at Zabuza when he started cackling to himself. "You're  
smarted than I gave you credit for, Hatake," the Rouge Ninja replied, throwing his sword back on his shoulder. "You're right. Haku is with me." He paused, sighed, and turned his head. "Come on out, Haku," he shouted. "No point in hiding if they already know you're here!" At first, nothing. Kakashi and the others tensed up and looked around frantically. They knew Haku was there, but they didn't know **_where_** he was. The entire bridge was surrounded by thick fog. And since the fog was pumped full of chakra, Hinata's Byakugan couldn't look through it.

But she didn't have to. A few seconds after Zabuza called his name, Haku slowly emerged from the fog and stepped beside his master. And with a sinister smirk showing through his bandaged face, Zabuza continued on. "I have to admit, if Haku wasn't there to bail me out of that little fix I was in, I would've been done for," he admitted, as he started cracking his neck. "For a team of Genin, they have a surprising amount of potential." Then, with all compliments aside, a dark glare appeared on Zabuza's brow. "But because you refused to hand the old man over when you had the chance, none of you will live long enough to show it to anyone else."

When Zabuza took his humongous sword from off his shoulders, Kakashi turned to Sakura. "Sakura, I need you to stay with Tazuna in case anything goes wrong." Hearing that she was not to be a part of the fight, a grumpy frown took over Sakura's face. "I know you want to help your friends," Kakashi continued, patting her on the shoulder, "but we can't leave Tazuna alone. Who knows? There might be a band of thugs waiting to kill him while we battle Zabuza and Haku. We need someone to take care of him. So I don't want to hear any complaining from you." Feeling that her sensei made a good argument, Sakura nodded her head.

Kakashi turned to Naruto, Sasuke and Hinata after he gave Sakura his orders. "You three are to go up against Haku. Zabuza would be too much for you three to handle, so I'll handle him on my own." Hinata, Sasuke and Naruto looked at each other, before looking back at their sensei with worried expressions. "Don't worry. If anything, make sure that you stay on the defensive, so that you can familiarize yourselves with his fighting tactics. After that, you three can work together and take him down. Understand?" Even though Naruto was a little nervous about this, he struck a neutral look and nodded his head, as did Hinata and Sasuke.

After that being settled, Kakashi turned back to Zabuza and Haku, who were still standing patiently on the other side of the bridge. Zabuza was flexing his muscles, as if he was not concerned with the battle that was in the making. Haku just stood silently next to him, with his mask hiding any expression he might have. "Remember, Sakura," Kakashi whispered, getting ready to spring the attack, "whatever happens, just make sure Tazuna is safe." When Sakura nodded her head again, Kakashi, Hinata, Sasuke and Naruto leapt towards the two assassins, prepared to fight.

**Meanwhile, Back in the Village…**

All of the local villagers were gathering in the center of town, furious at what they have just heard. The workers from the bridge came into town, panicking and sweaty. When the villagers asked what was wrong, they were informed that Zabuza had arrived to kill Tazuna. "This has gone on for long enough," a villager shouted, causing all the other angry villagers to give him their attention. "This is the work of Gato! That monster of a man wants Tazuna dead! He wants to ensure that the Land of Waves will never get the help it so desperately needs. Gato will never let our suffering come to an end!"

The man picked up a bow and arrow, and lifted it into the air. Coincidentally, Tsunami and Inari were in the crowd, listening to the man's furious speech. "As long as the monster Gato is alive, The Land of Waves will never be free! It is up to **US **now to fight back!" Inspired by the villager's words, everyone else cheered, agreeing with him. "We have five ninjas from The Land of Waves fighting for our freedom, and four of them are mere children! It's time for us to stop hiding! It's time we stopped allowing Gato to get away with senseless murder of our innocent people! Because I, for one, will **_NEVER_** allow children to fight and die for my freedom! If there is to be any fighting or dying, let it be OUR blood that falls!" The other villagers cheered louder, raising various weapons into the air.

As Inari watched, he witnessed the once scared villagers he grew up with show the first shred of courage in a long time. "It's clear now that Gato will do everything in his power to ensure our suffering," another villager agreed, brandishing a katana by his side. "Michiro is right! We must fight for our freedom and take back what rightfully belongs to us!" The villager then walked into the center of the large crowd. "All women and children, find places to hide! Every man who has the strength to fight will come with us! If we are to die by the hands of Gato and his men, let us die while taking some of them with us!"

As Inari watched all the able-bodied men go off in the direction of the bridge, all he could do was stare at them in amazement. He never imagined that he'd ever see the day when everyone would be showing the same amount courage Kaiza showed all those years ago. They didn't care about them losing their lives. They wanted to fight back and are willing to die trying. Naruto was right; there's always hope. Inari then ran after the villagers ready to fight as well.

**Back at the Bridge…**

"You got guts, Hatake, I'll give you that much," Zabuza growled, dashing back and forth to avoid the explosive kunai being thrown by Kakashi. After avoiding the kunai, Zabuza swung his sword at Kakashi. When the blade came at him, Kakashi merely leaned backwards. So when the blade went over him, he performed a barrel roll in midair and delivered a well-placed kick to the side of Zabuza's head. The large man was sent stumbling backwards, holding the side of his face that was kicked.

"That's where you're wrong, Momochi," Kakashi disagreed, while Zabuza regained his balance. As a shuriken fell out of his pocket and into his hand, he smirked. "I have a lot more tricks up my sleeves." In the blink of an eye, Kakashi activated his Sharigan and threw the razor sharp shuriken at the _seemingly_ dazed man. But to his surprise, Zabuza's hand lashed upward and caught the shuriken between his two fingers. He sent Kakashi a creepy grin, before looking to the ground. There was blood there. So he looked to the hand he was holding his face with and discovered that there was blood staining his bandages.

"Wow," he growled, throwing the shuriken to the ground. "That was an impressive kick, Hatake. To be able to break my skin with blunt force is quite something. That hasn't happened to me since I was a Genin." Kakashi stared at Zabuza in confusion when he thrust his sword into the ground. "I see that my sword won't be as effective against _you_," he said, cracking his knuckles, "so I guess I'll just have to kill you up close and personally."

Then, without warning, Zabuza dashed forward and threw a punch at Kakashi. Thinking he could simply block the attack, Kakashi raised both his arms in front of his face. But when the punch landed, it had far more force behind it than anticipated. All of a sudden, Kakashi was sent skidding across the bridge. He skidded to a stop and let out a sharp hiss of pain.

_"Damnit,"_ he thought, looking back up to see Zabuza casually walking towards him, _"it seems he was going easy on us the first time we fought."_ Ignoring the pain in his arms, he dropped back down into his fighting stance. But to her surprise, Zabuza had stopped walking toward her. Now, he was standing up, with his hands on his hips. "Thinking on what to do next, Zabuza?" Kakashi asked, not expecting a straight answer.

Zabuza shook his head. "Nope. I already know how I'm going to kill you," he answered, letting out another evil snicker. "I'm just enjoying the show, is all." Confused, Kakashi raised an eyebrow. That's when Zabuza raised his hand and pointed in his direction. Hesitantly, Kakashi turned his head slightly, so he could both look behind himself and not take his full attention off from Zabuza.

But when he saw what he was pointing at, his eyes went wide with fear. "Wh-what in the world is tha…"

Before he could even complete his sentence, Zabuza appeared in front of him and had punched him in the stomach. He looked at him with a menacing scowl. "That is Haku's special Jutsu. Now, I'm afraid your dear little students are done for…" Then, Zabuza pulled out a kunai. "But don't worry. I'll kill you before you can witness it. Because I am, believe it or not, a very _merciful _man!"

"Hey! Ugly! Don't forget about **ME**!" All of a sudden, Sakura appeared on the scene and sent her enlarged chakra fist crashing into Zabuza's chest, sending him skidding across the ground on his back.

**With Naruto, Sasuke and Hinata…**

Naruto, Sasuke and Hinata stood back-to-back; gazing at the Jutsu Haku had just performed. All around them were giant sheets of thick ice, all levitating in the air. It made a huge dome around the two, who were frantically looking around for any sign of Haku. "H-Hinata, S-Sasuke can either of y-you see him?" Naruto asked, darting his eyes from side to side.

Not wanting to waste any chakra, Hinata looked around without her Byakugan activated. They all saw Haku morph into one of those ice mirrors, but in the blink of an eye, he was gone. But when she activated her Byakugan, she was horrified to discover that all the ice mirrors were being held up by chakra, which rendered her Byakugan useless. "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun," Hinata apologized, reaching into one of her pouches and pulling out a shuriken, "but I can't spot him anywhere."

"That's because you both are trapped in my special Jutsu." Naruto, Sasuke and Hinata whirled to where the familiar voice came from, and saw Haku, standing at the far end of the ice dome. He had his arms folded across his chest. When Naruto, Sasuke and Hinata turned to face him, Haku sighed. "There is no point in trying to escape. When you fall prey to my Crystal Ice Mirrors, there is no hope of escaping it."

"Oh yeah?" Sasuke growled, hurling his shuriken at Haku. But before it could reach him, Haku stepped back and morphed into the ice mirror. The shuriken merely bounced off the hard ice, leaving Haku virtually unharmed. Getting annoyed, Hinata activated her Byakugan and charged. "Take this!" Hinata dashed in and sent a chakra filled palm strike right at the crystal mirror. But when her attack connected, she was shocked to discover two things. One, her Hyuga palm attack had absolutely no effect on the ice mirror. And two, Haku was gone. "Where did he.." Hinata began. But before she could finish, a needle flew in out of nowhere and flew past her face. She let out a hiss of pain, reaching up to learn that there was a nasty cut on her cheek.

"Hinata!" Naruto cried as he forgot about Haku and rushed to her aid. "A-are you okay, H-Hinata?" Before she could answer, another needle flew in from behind Naruto and struck him right in the calf, causing him to let out a cry of agony before falling to the ground.

"Naruto!" Enraged, Sasuke pulled out a handful of kunai with explosive tags attached to them and hurled all of them in the direction the needle came from. When the shuriken struck the mirrors, they all exploded. Hinata dropped to her knees to help Naruto, not bothering to look to see what damage Sasuke might have caused. "Naruto, are you alright?" she asked, slowly pulled the thrown needle from Naruto's leg.

"Y-yeah, I th-think so," he hissed, squinting his eyes because of the stinging pain. Hinata ripped one of her jacket's sleeves off, and wrapped it around Naruto's punctured leg. It was almost as if she had forgotten they were in the middle of a battle of life and death.

"Naruto? Can you still walk?" Sasuke asked.

Wanting to know that for himself, Naruto reached up and wrapped his arm around Hinata's shoulders. She lifted both of them up, and gently sat him down on both legs. But Naruto immediately hissed in pain and dropped to one knee. The needles left his leg in extreme pain, making it excruciatingly painful for him to stand.

_"Th-this is bad,"_ Naruto thought, looking from side to side. _"If we d-don't do something, we're going to d-die."_ Thinking quickly, Naruto made a single hand-sign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" In a matter of no time, the entire dome was filled with shadow clones of Naruto. "H-Hinata, S-Sasuke," he moaned, trying to stand up again, "wh-while my clones are d-distracting Haku, we sh-should try to e-escape."

"Good idea Naruto," Hinata replied. "We'll get out of here an..."

**POOF! POOF! POOF! POOF! POOF! POOF! POOF! POOF!**

Hinata's sentence was interrupted by the sound of Naruto's shadow clones disappearing in puffs of smoke. The three turned to see needle raining down upon all the shadow clones from every perceivable direction. "I told you there was no escaping," Haku hissed, morphing out from the crystal mirror directly behind them. All of Naruto's shadow clones were destroyed, leaving only the needle embedded in the ground once the smoke dissipated. "Your decision to fight me inside this dome was the worst and last mistake you three will ever make."

**Back with Kakashi, Sakura and Zabuza…**

Thanks to Sakura's help, Kakashi was able to wear Zabuza down. Now, the infamous Mist ninja was on his knees, covered in bruises and gasping for breath. Whenever he would go after one, the other would immediately find a way to get in a solid strike. Zabuza wasn't even able to perform any Jutsu, because Kakashi and Sakura wouldn't allow it. Now, Kakashi was behind Zabuza, with a kunai pressed up against Zabuza's throat. And Sakura was standing in front, with both of her massive chakra arms raised up into the air, ready the crush Zabuza at a moment's notice. "What kind of Jutsu is Haku using?" Kakashi hissed, slowly pressing the blade into Zabuza's neck.

But despite the predicament he was in, the "Mist Demon" let out a cruel chuckle. "That is Haku's Kekkei Genkai," he answered, refusing to cease his laughter. "You see, Kakashi, Haku is quite a _unique _young lad. He has the ability to manipulate ice at will. And thanks to my supervision and training, we've came up with this move called the _Crystal Ice Mirror Jutsu_." When both Sakura and Kakashi threatened to end his life, Zabuza continued. "Haku is _unique_ because he possesses the ability to morph into any form of solid ice. And, with intense training, he became able to teleport from one ice mirror to another in the blink of an eye… Well, he doesn't _really_ teleport. But he switches from spot to spot so fast; he might as well be teleporting." Kakashi's eyes went wide with fear when he looked back at his three students. When Sakura looked back, what she saw almost caused her to throw up.

**Back with Naruto, Sasuke and Hinata…**

"N-Naruto…" Hinata, Sasuke and Naruto were in really bad shape. Hinata and Sasuke was on their knees, with large needles sticking out of their shoulders, arms and legs. There were a couple of new cuts on their faces from thrown needles. But they were more concerned about the boy who was lying in front of them. Naruto was pretty beat up. He had three needle stuck in his legs, a needle in each of his forearms. And one in his left shoulder, almost piercing his neck. Naruto's breathing was shallow, and he was struggling to keep his eyes open. So Hinata was trying her best to keep him awake. "N-Naruto, please st-stay awake," Hinata whispered, with tears threatening to fall from her white eyes.

"W-we'll make it th-through this. But you h-have to stay a-awake." Sasuke whispered.

"I'm sorry it has to be this way, Hinata Hyuga, Sasuke Uchiha." Hinata and Sasuke looked up to see Haku, standing no more than ten feet away from them, fidgeting with a couple of needles in one hand. He had his other hand in his pocket, and was leaning against the side of the ice dome. Both of them stared at the masked boy with a hate-filled glare. "But this is the way of the ninja. We are here only to serve others. You serve your village and Hokage, and I serve Zabuza."

Finally gaining enough energy, Naruto slowly opened his eyes. He gazed up at Hinata and Sasuke, and coughed violently. "H-Hinata, S-Sasuke" he choked, coughing up a little blood in the process. Hinata looked down at him, with tears slowly falling from her eyes. "A-are you o-okay, g-guys?" Hinata reached down, and pulled Naruto onto her lap. "I-I can't move," he whispered, as blood slowly started to fall down the side of his mouth. "H-Hinata, S-Sasuke... Y-you both need to e-escape. Please… be-before you die."

Sasuke shook his head. "No Naruto. I s-said we'd make it out t-together. And that's wh-what we're going to…"

"No you won't," Haku growled, flinging two needles at Sasuke and Hinata intending to kill them, but Naruto stood in the way allowing to needles to piece into his chest. A red eye opened in the darkness.

Naruto let out a gasp of pain when the two needles struck his chest. Hinata and Sasuke looked up in horror, having just witnessed everything. As blood started soaking through Naruto's black outfit, his body suddenly went limp.

**With Kakashi and Sakura…**

Kakashi and Sakura were horrified at what they just saw. They had just witnessed Naruto Uzumaki, the shyest yet friendliest person they've ever met, get struck down by Haku's needle. It was clear, even from where they were standing that the needles struck something vital. They watched as Naruto's body fell to the ground. "NARUTO!" Kakashi and Sakura cried out.

**Back With Naruto, Sasuke and Hinata…**

Hinata and Sasuke watched as Naruto fell to their side. He was lying right next to them, looking up at them with half opened eyes and blood dripping from his mouth.

"H-Hin-Hinata, S-Sasuke," he spoke, his voice only a little louder than a whisper. Tears stained Naruto's eyes. Hinata gently turned Naruto onto his back, so that he was looking up at her. "I-I'm sorry, N-Naruto," she continued. "I-I wish I c-could have d-done more to s-save us. And I-I'm so-sorry that I c-couldn't live t-to see you b-become the H-Head of the H-Hyuga clan. I-I'm so-sorry that I c-couldn't live t-to see you restore you cl-clan Sasuke."

Hinata and Sasuke were crying so much that their clothes were soaked in tears.

"Stop Screwing Around Naruto! Don't Apologize to any of us because if anyone's is going to apologize...It should be me!"

Hinata couldn't accept the fact that Naruto is at the end of his route. Even when he was impaled with needles, even though he could barely keep his eyes open, Naruto Uzumaki cracked a small smile. "Pl-Please tell K-Kakashi-Sensai and S-Sakura these words: K-Kakashi-Sensai, S-Sakura, S-Sasuke, H-Hinata. THANK YOU! FOR LOVING ME!" But soon, Naruto's breathing became harder and harder to hear. And eventually, after shedding a tear, Naruto's eyes drifted shut.

As she looked upon the lifeless body of her best friend, Hinata slowly reached down and shook her shoulder. "N-Naruto," she whispered, tears running down her face. Sasuke couldn't help but cry at the fact that his friend was gone. She tried again, but this time, Hinata reached down and put one arm underneath his back and one hand behind his head to lift him up. "N-Naruto…. P-please wake up." But it was as Hinata feared. "No… Please, not him," Hinata cried, pulling Naruto in and held him close to her. "No… No…"

Hinata put up a face of full despair and screamed so loud that Sasuke and Haku had to cover their ears.

"AAAAAAAUUUUUUGGHHHH! AAAAUUUUGGGHHH!"

"This must be the first time she's ever lost a good friend," Haku says, "That is the risk of becoming a ninja; you constantly see your loved ones die on the battlefield."

Suddenly, something inside Hinata snapped. Without warning, scary purple chakra started radiating from Hinata body. Haku watched as all the needle that was embedded in Hinata's body slowly started to slide out and fall to the ground.

_"What the hell?"_ he though, as he pulled out another needle and flung it at the grief stricken boy. But to Haku's surprise, when the needle touched the barrier of purple chakra surrounding Hinata, it was immediately repelled before it could even touch him. "Wh-what on earth is she?"

Slowly, Hinata stood up with Naruto cradled in her arms. She just stood there, with her back to Haku.

"Sasuke…take Naruto and get back to Kakashi-Sensai and Sakura."

Sasuke only look in horror at Hinata sudden change. The purple chakra that was merely surrounding her was swirling around her like a hurricane. Hinata's colorless eyes suddenly changed to purple, and resembled the eyes of a dragon. Slowly, her short fingernails grew into razor sharp claws. Hinata's face was covered in purple scales. Her back had an aura behind it. It was orange and resembled wings.

_"This is…That thing from before…"_ Sasuke thought remembering what happened last time.

**(Flashback)**

Hinata grabbed Meizu's head and smashed it on the ground creating a crater and knocking him unconscious.

**"You better be grateful that this girl is so kind-hearted. Otherwise, I would have killed you both slowly."** Hinata demonic voice ringed. She turned to the shocked Kakashi and Sasuke and smirked, **"Tell Naruto about this and I'll come for you two next."**

Hinata's scales and dragon-like eyes disappeared and she lost consciousness. It took Kakashi and Sasuke a few minutes to even say a word.

**(End Flashback)**

_"Wh-what the hell are you Hinata?"_ Sasuke thought.

"I'm not even sure that I'll be able to control myself but take care of Naruto for me okay."

Sasuke was hesitant but nodded and took Naruto's body in his arms and stepped far back. Haku too was slowly backing away, fearing what was taking place before his eyes. He had thrown all the needle he had with him at Hinata, but like before, all the needle was repelled by the purple chakra. But when he was about to morph into a mirror, Hinata was suddenly gone. "Where is he?" Haku thought, looking around frantically.

"**_YOU!"_** All of a sudden, Hinata came crashing through the crystal mirror Haku was about to morph into, and delivered a powerful punch directly into Haku's face. With his mask being shattered on impact, he was sent flying through the air, and slammed up against another mirror. He fell to the ground, with blood pouring from his nose. Then Haku looked up, and looked upon the face of his assailant.

Hinata glared down at the terrified Haku. **_"You…. You killed him" _**he growled, pointing at Haku. **_"You killed Naruto and I'll never see Nine-Tails again! Naruto was the girl's closest friend and you KILLED him!" _**The purple chakra was still swirling around Hinata wildly, taking the needles that were stuck in the ground and sending them into the air. **_"You just made the biggest mistake of your life, because now, I'm going to kill you!_**

The wind whipped and whirled in the air. The feelings of hate, rage, and despair permeated the air like a foul stench. And in the middle of it all was one _very_ angry Hyuga girl. Her growls turned to roars of rage as she looked at the source of her pain. The vile scum that took away the only person she ever cared about away. And she was going to pay for it… **_dearly_**.

"The blood-lust in those eyes. This is not the same girl as before. She…is this even a child?"

"**RAAAAAAAAGH!**"

Suddenly, Hinata charged at the ice style user with extreme speed. Haku threw some needles at the girl but the needles were blown away by another yell by the frenzied girl. Haku immediately got to another mirror out of the girl's line of sight. "I've got to end this now." Haku said as he appeared in all the mirrors. And they all simultaneously threw their needles. But Hinata hunched over and all the needles were stopped in their tracks in mid-air held by thin veil of purple chakra. And then with a roar she unleashed a massive chakra shockwave, singling out the real Haku and making her cover her eyes from the malevolent chakra.

"Such power! If her chakra levels keep rising like this I won't survive!" Haku said, struggling to keep calm.

**With the Jonin:**

Kakashi had managed to save Sakura from getting hit but he took a hit himself. Kakashi was a little scratched up from dodging Zabuza's big sword. But things had gone from bad to worse when a very old and familiar chakra filled the air.

"_That chakra, it can't be!_" Kakashi thought. "_Hinata! It's that sudden burst of power from before._

"_What is this power? It can't be Kakashi or the other genin. So what is it?" Zabuza thought/exclaimed._

"Sakura, stand back. I'll finish this." Kakashi then unclipped one of the scroll holsters. "_If I'm right, then we still might have a chance at getting out alive._" "Hey Zabuza, how about you and I wrap this up." Kakashi took some of his blood and swiped it on the open scroll, then proceeded to wave it around (I really had no idea what he was doing or what to call it). "We're both busy men you know. So what do you say…interested?"

"Heh, fine by me Kakashi. Show me what you can do!" Zabuza's voice boomed in reply.

**With Sakura…**

Sakura has gotten over the initial state of shock when Kakashi had gotten hurt, but that only served to put her more on edge than she already was. And the sudden and extremely feral and dangerous killing intent that had invaded the air like the mist itself was not helping.

"Wh-what is this?" Sakura was able to choke out. Tazuna was nearly as speechless as she was. Tazuna himself was shaking uncontrollably.

"The heck is going on?" Sakura said trying to hide her fear.

**Back to the important part of the bridge:**

Haku had just taken down his arm to see Hinata jump at the mirror, and dodged just in time but the Hyuga girls' fist shattered the ice like a wrecking ball. "Now!" Haku jumped out of one of the shards and dive-bombed the girl. But Hinata's movements were quicker and she dodged out of the way before the attack could connect. The ice-style user meant to jump away into another mirror but she suddenly was stopped and slammed into one of the intended mirrors!

Haku could feel the hate that rolled off of the Hinata as the young genin glared at him. He then felt the girls grip on him tighten as the malevolent chakra flared again, now starting to concentrate around the girl's forearm. It was all he could do to concentrate any spare chakra he had to block the oncoming clawed palm strike that hit him square in the chest sending him flying through the mirror and in turn, dispelling the Jutsu.

After watching the ice-style user roll to a stop and get up, Hinata charged, all the while getting ready to strike the finishing blow. But the mask fell off and Hinata's body stopped as soon as she saw the face of the girl behind it. She looked like she had already given up, but why did she stop?

"Why did you stop?" Hinata looked up to see the girls face. She couldn't have been but a couple of years older than she was. But she killed Naruto, so why did she hesitate now. "I killed your friend. Aren't you going to kill me? I'm no longer useful to Zabuza."

Hinata only stared at Haku.

"I'm a broken tool. And Zabuza has no use for broken tools."

Haku then stood back up and told Hinata about what had happened in her childhood. From the bloodline purges to how she met Zabuza to now.

**With Kakashi and Zabuza:**

Earth Style: Fanged Pursuit Jutsu! Kakashi slammed one end of the scroll onto the bridge as chain-like symbols shot from the scroll. Then all there was to do was to wait; a few moments later it paid off as he heard a cry of pain, and the mist began to clear. And once it had cleared enough he found Zabuza caught by his ninja hounds. "There you are." Kakashi said.

"Damn it, how?" the swordsman of the mist asked trying to keep calm from the pain.

"Well I knew if I couldn't use my hearing or sight to search for you. I could always you my nose. And thanks to you some of my blood happened to be on your blade, my hounds were able to find you quite easily."

The rouge ninja could only growl at the fact Kakashi got one over on him.

"I'll admit Zabuza, you were good, but this is where it ends."

"Heh, if you think this will stop me think again."

"On my orders, my hounds could rip you limb from limb. But since you were a powerful opponent", Kakashi then proceeded to make a few hand signs, "I'll finish this with an original Jutsu of my own." Suddenly, as if on cue, there was a loud chirping sound as if a huge flock of birds had landed on the bridge. But all there was to see was a circle of lighting that was being pulled into Kakashi's hand!

"Wha-what is that?" the swordsman choked out. "_I can see his chakra. This is impossible!_"

"Lightning Blade!" Kakashi then charged at Zabuza intending to end the fight once and for all.

**With Hinata:**

"And that is why."

Haku had just finished her story yet Hinata's emotionless face didn't change. The Hyuga was about the same age as Haku was a child when she had her own tragedy when her mother died. She couldn't think of what to do.

"Maybe if we had met differently…we could have been friends." Haku said lowly. "Sorry, young Hyuga. (Haku doesn't know who Hinata is. Only that she's a Hyuga.)

However, Hinata punched Haku so hard in the stomach that it caused her to cough out blood. Hinata gave the ice-user a leering look of pure hatred.

**_"Like I care, I don't give out forgiveness to any living thing in this world; especially to humans."_** A feminine demonic voice shouted.

It's obvious that this isn't Hinata anymore; it's more like a monster had taken over. Hinata punched Haku again launching her straight towards Zabuza. Surprisingly, the timing of Haku getting in the way of Kakashi's Lightning Blade and Zabuza was unimaginably perfect.

**With the Genin…**

"Was that Hinata?" Sakura said. She then felt a hand on her shoulder. She then turned to see Tazuna looking at him.

"We'll worry about her after we tend to your friends." his voice had a hint of a somber tone to it. "Go, I'm right behind you." And with Sakura leading (of course), they headed to where Genin lay. Upon their arrival they saw Sasuke getting up.

"Sasuke, you're alright!" Sakura almost had a death hug on Sasuke's neck. And Sasuke thought his body was in pain already.

"Sakura, that hurts." Sasuke grunted out his whole body wracked with pain yet secretly he was blushing. But as he reached down to remove a needle, he suddenly remembered. "Sakura, is Naruto alright?" his voice was almost a panic.

Both Sakura and Sasuke looked to see Tazuna over Naruto. Tazuna had two fingers to the blondes' neck. He then removed them and slowly stood. Then he shook his head. Silence invaded the group faster than any kind of shock could get in. Everyone couldn't believe it, especially the Uchiha. Sasuke was down on the ground shaking Naruto futilely, hoping the boy was just playing possum. But he wasn't, Naruto was gone.

Sakura tearfully got down and started to carefully take out the needles. Sasuke helped out too. It was their duty to help their fallen teammate.

**With the Jonin…**

Kakashi stood over the body of Haku after dodging a last ditch swipe from Zabuza's sword. The Jonin was amazed that the kid, although still hurt, Haku had managed to take the Lightning Blade and hold onto Kakashi's arm with her remaining strength. Kakashi closed the ice-style user's eyes one last time and turned to Hinata. To his horror, he saw that she has a murderous look of murder in her eyes.

_"This is definitely not the Hinata that I know…Something's not right. This chakra level is just as strong as the Nine-Tails, but how?"_ Kakashi thought.

Hinata then turned to Zabuza who was already tired out.

**_"Now…It's your turn, Zabuza!"_**

"Hinata!" Kakashi's voice ranged, "That's enough! What's gotten into you?!"

**_"That's none of your concern human! I'm just playing with my new body!"_**

This makes Kakashi both angry and relieved. He was relieved at the fact that it wasn't Hinata acting like that but he is angry that someone or something is using her body as some host. Kakashi then performed a handsign.

"I've had enough of this; what the hell are you!?

Hinata smirked and said, **_"Very well then; remember this well human. I have only one named and it is feared throughout the world…my name is… Ksangar the Charred Purple Dragon. I lay waste to green and fertile lands; a dragon with scales that shimmer like flames. I crackle with visible rage and have piercing eyes. A danger as strong as the Nine-Tailed Fox. One day, I will rid this planet of the disgusting disease called humanity!_**"

* * *

**To Be Continued… **

**_Author's Note: Uh Oh! Trouble! Yeah, I've now introduced you all to Hinata's "little friend." "Ksangar" and Nine-Tails know each other very well. Oh yeah by the way, Ksangar is a girl dragon. Until next time…see ya!_**


	18. Peace Returns: The Great Naruto Bridge

**Author's Note: I've finally finished relaxing and I'm back to give you another chapter. Here, Ksangar's power will be shown. Enjoy.**

* * *

**Peace Returns: The Great Naruto Bridge**

Kakashi stood in fear after hearing the name Ksangar; he heard of the stories but to see it for real.

"Ksangar…the legendary purple dragon of darkness; I never expected you to be inside Hinata." He said.

The Ksangar controlled Hinata turned to Kakashi with an evil grin and says, **"I didn't expect to be in this human's body either, but once I come out I'll get my revenge on the Hyuga clan." **

Kakashi became confused at the statement. "Get revenge on the Hyuga clan? What did they do to you?"

Ksangar (in Hinata's body) then became angry as memories of a lady carrying a baby appeared in her mind. **"She sealed me inside this brat, but now that the seal is slowly breaking, I can now take over this girl's body and get my revenge! If any of you value your lives, then you'll be smart enough to flee with your tails between your legs." **

Kakashi took out his kunai knife and went into a fighting stance. That was when Sasuke and Sakura arrived with Naruto in Sasuke's arms. Sakura became horrified at what has happened to Hinata.

_"H-Hinata, what's happened to you?"_ she thought.

"I'm not leaving!" Kakashi shouted, "You have one of my student and I'm not leaving without her!"

**"Very well then, since you put it that way; you will be leaving, in a body bag!"** Ksangar (in Hinata's body) reached her arm out and a sword made out of ice appeared in her hand, she reached her other hand out as another sword made out of fire appeared.

Kakashi couldn't believe his eyes, _"This is the power of the purple dragon. Not even all of us combine would be a challenge against it. But still, I need to find a way to save Hinata." _"Sasuke, Sakura! Take Tazuna and get out of here; things have gotten out of hand!"

"B-But Kakashi Sensai, what about…" Sakura says.

"Don't worry about Hinata, because I'll save her; even if it costs me my life!"

**Inside Naruto…**

Naruto had been walking for a few minutes. He had woken up in what looked like a sewer. But he had no clue how he got there. He had been walking in one direction. The weird part about it is that he felt almost drawn in the direction he was going. And that led him right to the front of a massive cage. There was a paper on the front that read "Seal". As he looked closer in it he almost jumped out of his skin and all when two…big…red eyes snapped open.

"**Ahh. So my warden finally decides to visit."**, a sinister voice sounded from inside the cage.

As Naruto got closer, he had no qualms about what was inside it. "You're…you're the Nine-Tailed Fox." Naruto soon got his bearings and asked, "Wh…Where am I?"

"**We're in your mindscape. You must have got sent here when you decided to take that hit for your pitiful friends."**

"Hey th…those are my friends you're t…talking about." Naruto said slightly loud at the fox. Suddenly he felt a sudden burst of power. Naruto shivered in fear as the power felt powerful and scary. "Wh…What is this p…power? It…It's unbelievable to even think ab…about."

The Nine Tails put a look of interest and says, **"So…She's finally awaken…I'd expect it to be far later but I guess she couldn't wait to go back in the world. I don't know what I'm going to do with her."**

Naruto was confused at Nine Tail's words, "She? Who's she?"

**"Ksangar,"** Nine Tails put his mouth closer to Naruto's ear and whispered something. Naruto put a look of total shock, "WHAT?! YOU'RE NOT KIDDING ARE YOU?!"

Nine Tails smiled and nodded yes. He then went on to tell Naruto about Ksangar. Ksangar usually has a brash attitude thinking that she's stronger than anything.

**With Kakashi…**

Kakashi was panting really hard since he couldn't keep up with Ksangar (in Hinata's body). His arm was cut by the ice sword and was freezing while with leg was burnt by the fire sword. Ksangar (in Hinata's body) laughed at Kakashi futile attempt to save his student.

"Hinata! This monster is controlling you and making you kill us! I know that you can fight it! This isn't you!"

Ksangar (in Hinata's body) laughed again and says, **"Don't bother. Your voice can no longer reach her where she is. Her heart now belongs to me!"**

**With Naruto…**

After Nine Tails told Naruto everything, he stood up and looked up towards the ceiling.

**"There isn't enough time…Soon Ksangar will take full control over Hinata's body." **he said.

"W…Wait, how do y…you know H…Hinata?" Naruto asks.

**"I'll tell about that later…But right now we have to stop Ksangar." **Nine Tails responded before standing on all fours, **"Besides, I'd like to have a chat with her anyway."**

"S…So what are w…we going to do?"

**"Well, first you need help me to get inside of your friend, but you need to wake up."**

"Wake up; b…but how, I'm dead."

**"You're not; you just appear to be dead since those needles are designed to intimidate death. Now concentrate and then move your body."**

"Concentrate and then move my body…" Naruto closed his eyes to concentrate.

**Outside…**

With Naruto's body in his arms, Sasuke notices something wrong and places Naruto on the ground.

"What is it Sasuke?" Sakura ask her crush.

"S-Something's wrong with Naruto…" Sasuke answers.

"_Come on…come on…move…_" Naruto's body twitched as a red chakra suddenly swirled around it, taking the nine-tails' head at its peak. "_I made…I made…a promise…_" Naruto then got up as chakra exploded outwards. Sakura and Sasuke all became relieved and happy that their friend has come back to them.

"NARUTO!"

_"And I plan on keeping it…" Naruto shouted._

_A change has happened to Naruto. _His hair was a bit wilder, his whisker marks were a bit thicker, and the most prominent of his features, his eyes were blood red.

"Naruto…what's happened to…?" Naruto interrupted Sakura's question, "It's alright everyone. I'm alright." Naruto turns to Hinata horrified by what's happened to her. "Hinata…is this what Ksangar's done to you?"

Ksangar (in Hinata's body) notices Naruto and his change. **"Nine-Tails, you've finally awaken."**

**"Listen to me Naruto,"** Nine Tail's voice ringed through Naruto's mind, **"The only way we're going to get inside your friend is for you to do the impossible."**

"Really? What's that?" Naruto asks.

**"You'll need to hug her."**

"Alright…Wait! WHAT?!"

**"Yeah, Yeah I know. You're too shy to even look at her, but there's got to be a point in time that you need to get over that! Besides, it's the only way."**

Naruto sighed in defeat, "Alright…I guess I have no choice." Naruto got out two kunai knives one in each hand.

Ksangar (in Hinata's body) got into a fighting stance, **"You should know better than to stand up to a fight boy. Otherwise you'll end up worse than dead."**

"Just shut up overgrown reptile!" Naruto's voice rang shocking everyone. "You…you think you can just take over Hinata's body and use it like a new suit of clothes?! Once my friend gets inside you, I'm sure that he'll be more than happy to beat you to a pulp!

Everyone's jaws dropped at Naruto's sudden change in attitude.

"Is…Is that Naruto?" Sasuke asks.

"The same shy Naruto who always stutters?" Sakura continued

"That boy's surely something else…" Tazuna says.

_"Incredible…Naruto has come a long way. To think that he was once a shy boy who couldn't look at people in the eye."_ Kakashi though, _"And to top it all off, I can see that he's managed to control a small amount of the Nine-Tail's power, or maybe…"_

**CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!**

Both Naruto's kunai knives and Ksangar's (in Hinata's body) swords exchanged blow after blow. Both sides weren't giving an inch and every one can tell that the one who lets up would die. Ksangar (in Hinata's body) attempts to vertically slash Naruto, but Naruto parried the attack leaving her open. Naruto was a split second hesitant but he went and hugged Hinata's body while blushing heavily.

"Now Nine-Tails!" Naruto shouted.

**"Good job Naruto!"** Nine Tails says as he enters Hinata's body.

**Inside Hinata…**

Nine Tails walked through the sewers to happen upon a cage that looks exactly like his except he saw Hinata in front of it. He was shocked to see that Hinata's eyes were closed and soaked in tears. She was chained up by purple chains. Nine Tails knew what these were.

**"The Chains of Anguish, forged by the man who experienced the full meaning of true pain; I do wonder how you even got your hands on this, Ksangar?"**

Two menacing purple eyes snapped open behind the cage and stared at Nine-Tails. The shadows of the cage cleared to reveal a purple colored dragon with orange horns and orange wings. Its eyes are purple and is has razor sharp claws.

**"Let's just say that it's a mystery…"** Ksangar says with a smirk, **"What I want to know is why you would help this Hyuga brat? After all, she's only one human; what could possibly make her different from the others?"**

**"It's because,"** Nine Tails grabbed Hinata, **"This girl, even though she really isn't trying too, is trying to change my opinion. Though I still think that all humans are the same as you do; those five humans…"** Naruto's memories of Kakashi, Iruka, Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura's kindness towards Naruto flash back in Nine Tail's mind, **"May just be the people who can help Naruto. I just feel it, and besides, I made an important promise."** Nine Tails pulled Hinata away causing the chains to break and freeing her.

**"I don't think I can ever understand you Nine-Tails."** Ksangar said.

**"I'd like to stay and catch up but I gotta bail. Be sure to say hi to your son for me."** After that, Nine Tails vanished.

**Outside…**

**"It's done Naruto. I take my leave…"** With that the Nine-Tails disappeared.

Hinata's freed body went limp as the swords disappear since she lost consciousness and fell in Naruto's arms. Sakura, Sasuke, Tazuna, and Kakashi ran over to the two Genin relieved to see that the horror was over.

"Naruto! That was awesome!" Sakura shouted.

"Now way…You've gotten even stronger than me." Sasuke says a little jealous.

"I'll have to say that you weren't kidding when you said you want to be Hokage." Tazuna says.

Naruto got nervous at all of the compliments he's been getting and smiled, "Th…Thanks guys."

"We can celebrate later everyone," Kakashi says turning to Zabuza who couldn't move anymore. "You've lost your teammate Zabuza and you're outnumbered, so are you going to give up?"

But then they heard a clapping sound come from one side of the bridge. **They all turned to see **a short man in a suit and shades with a cane. And a large group of thugs behind him.

"Gato.", Zabuza growled. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm just here to check on how my investment was panning out." the tyrannical mogul said as he walked up to Haku's body. Then he started to kick it saying, "Useless piece of trash!" Then before anybody could register what had happened Gato was sent flying into some of his thugs. He looked back up to see the Uzumaki boy standing in front of Haku's body still hunched over from punching him.

"You have some nerve…" the tone from the Uzumaki boy shocked everyone. "…to just stand there and do nothing."

"Haku was nothing more than a tool. Nothing more-" Zabuza said.

"Don't you…DARE say that!" Naruto yelled his back still turned to the swordsman. He activated his Nine-Tailed eyes and looked at the rogue ninja. "You were the only thing in this world that was important to her and you're seriously telling me that she meant nothing to you? Nothing at all?! You never felt anything for her?! And if I become stronger does that mean that I will become as cold-hearted as you? She threw her life away, and for what, you and your dream?! You never let her have a dream of her own, but she didn't care. But you just tossed her aside like she was nothing." Tears fell from Naruto's eyes. "Like a broken tool…That…That's so heartless…I may not know what's happened to Haku all those years ago, but I do know this: Haku was willing to protect the person who treated her like trash and THAT'S what made her strong enough to defeat me!

**(Flashback)**

"Yes. When you strive to protect someone you care about, it can make you even more powerful than you are now. I'm sure you'll become a great Hokage one day." Haku smiled as she picked up her basket and leaves. "Goodbye, I'm sure that we'll meet again one day."

**(End Flashback)**

"Kid…just shut up.", the other ninja turned to see Zabuza, the demon of the mist, crying. "You're words cut deeper than any blade. When she fought you, her heart was breaking in two. Haku has always been too soft and too kind. He felt pain and sorrow and damn it I feel it too…and something else. I feel content that this is the way it ends. So kid, give me a kunai knife." Zabuza's arms were useless. He had already lost feeling in them from blood-loss.

Naruto then took out a kunai from his pocket and turned to look at the swordsman. "I owe her that much." Zabuza said as Naruto tossed it towards him.

"_You know the more I think about it. I'm glad Naruto and Hinata met. He's now become a really confident person."_ Kakashi thought as he watched as Zabuza tore through the wrappings around his mouth, catch the kunai in his teeth, and charge at the thugs.

Zabuza completely ignored the thugs and focused on Gato. He killed Gato with a stab to the throat as Gato's dead body fell into the ocean. Zabuza then felt sharp pains on his back and coughed blood as he turns to see spears, swords, whatever is sharp, stabbed into his back. He knew that he was at the end of his life as he turned to Haku's direction and slowly walked. Everything was blurry in his perspective as he fell on his knees.

"Haku…so this is goodbye…at last…Not once did I ever thank you Haku…Forgive me for that…" Zabuza's body fell to the ground with a big thud.

Before the thugs could contradict what happened, an arrow came and hit the bridge in the middle of the group. Naruto turned to see Inari, and the whole village that the kid lived in behind him.

"Inari, I was wonder what took the little hero so long?" Naruto called out.

"Sorry Naruto, but you know the hero doesn't show up till the last minute to kick but!" the boy proudly called back.

After that the townspeople roared together and got ready to charge. But there was no need. Seeing the townsfolk rise against them and their employer dead the thugs ran for it. All in all the day went well. Zabuza lay on the floor with eyes half opened and almost dead. Kakashi stood by his side.

"Hey K-Kakashi. Could you do me a favor?" Zabuza asks.

"What is it?" Kakashi says knowing what the favor is.

"Could you bring me to her…I want to see her one last time…"

Kakashi puts his headband back into covering up his Sharigan eye, "Alright…"

Kakashi picks up Zabuza's dying body and starts to walk over to Haku's. It then started snowing which confuses Tazuna.

"Snowing, that can't be right. We're nowhere near the time of year when it starts snowing." he says.

"Haku…is that you? Are you weeping…?" Zabuza asks.

Kakashi reached Haku's body and placed Zabuza next to her.

"Thank you Kakashi…" Zabuza then turns to Haku's face, "You were always by my side Haku…the least I can do is to be beside you to the end..." Zabuza used every ounce of his strength to lift his arm and put his hand on Haku's face, "I know it cannot be so, but…I wish I could go to where you are…Haku…" Zabuza breathed his last breath as his eyes closed. Zabuza Momochi, the rouge ninja of the Land of Waves along with Haku is dead.

"You never know Zabuza…maybe you will join her there." Kakashi says.

**At a Hill at Dawn time…**

Hinata has fully awakened from her unconsciousness as Squad Seven honor Zabuza and Haku's death through burial. Kakashi told Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura not to tell Hinata what has happened.

"So is that it Kakashi-Sensai?" Sakura asks, "Is that the ninja way…to be used as a tool by people?"

"Shinobi are all merely tools in the hands of destiny. There's no point in wondering what's right or wrong, it just is. It's the same for the village hidden in the leaves."

"Well if you ask me if that's what being a ninja is like then something is out of whack," Hinata says pouting "Is that why we go through all this training, just to end up like them?"

"What is the reason for that?" Sasuke asks.

Kakashi sighed as he says, "Well…that's a question without an answer…and that is something that we ninja have to go through every day of our lives, like Zabuza and the kid."

"Okay…" Naruto says getting everyone's attention. "I've just come to a decision. From now on, I'm going to find my own ninja way. A way that's straight and true and without any regrets; from now on I'm following the way of Naruto."

Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura couldn't help but smile to see how the Genin boy has grown from being completely insecure to being the very person who isn't afraid of being a burden.

"Naruto! You can speak clearly! I'm so happy!" Hinata started hugging him causing Naruto to blush entirely, "If you're going to find your ninja way then I'll find mine too, believe it!"

Unfortunately, Naruto fainted and slumped backwards. "Oops! Sorry Naruto! Naruto?"

Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura laughed at the fact that one thing didn't change: Naruto still faints whenever Hinata makes contact with him.

At the Newly Created Bridge…

"We could never have completed the bridge without you." Tazuna says, "I can't even tell you how much we're going to miss you."

"Now, Now…Don't get so choked up; we'll come back." Hinata says.

Inari looked like he was about to cry. "You swear you will?"

Then Hinata looked like she was about to cry. "Of course…you know kid, its okay to cry if you want; there is nothing wrong with that. But if you cry then I'll cry…"

"Not unless you cry first."

"No you cry first.

"No you."

"No you."

"No you."

"Alright forget it!"

Hinata turned yet both she and Inari both cried at the same time. Sasuke face palmed while Sakura sweat dropped.

_"Those two are just pathetic." _they both thought.

Squad Seven then proceeded to walk to the village.

"It was all his doing; that boy made you stronger Inari and you in turn made all of us stronger." Tazuna says, "It's thanks to that boy that we were able to take back out land. Say speaking of the bridge, I haven't given it a name yet. I have one in mind, we'll call it: The Great Naruto Bridge."

With Squad Seven…

"Ha-ha! When we get back, I'll ask Iruka-Sensai to fix me and Naruto up with a bowl of ramen to celebrate!" Hinata shouted. "And just wait until I tell Konohamaru about this; man the kids going to worship me!"

"Hey Sasuke," Sakura asks, "When we get back, would you like to do something special."

Sasuke then began to blush a little, "And what do you have in mind?" Sasuke asks trying not to show his face.

"Well…we could go for a walk together." Sakura says.

"A-Alright," Sasuke answers, "_Darn it! Why am I stuttering?!"_

_"I'm sure that the name Naruto will stand for a long time,"_ Tazuna says to himself, _"And maybe someday, it will become famous. The name Naruto known throughout the world; that would be something wouldn't it?"_

* * *

**To Be Continued…**

**_Author's Note: Wow! Now that's a chapter if you ask me. I need to say that after each arc in "Naruto" I do an independent original story for each main character. Also, Nine Tails isn't a total jerk to Naruto in this story so don't be mad. Also, try to guess what he whispered to Naruto. So stayed tooned._**


	19. The Ninjas of the Sand

**The Ninjas of the Sand**

A few days have passed since the C-ranked mission; Squad Seven had returned to the Hidden Leaf Village. Hinata, Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto were waiting for their late Sensai to arrive by doing what they usually do. Sasuke stayed silent while Sakura fawn over him, Hinata sent glaring looks at Sasuke while Sasuke sent glaring looks back, and Naruto was twirling his index fingers blushing as he looked at Hinata. That was when Kakashi arrived.

"Hey guys, Good Morning! Sorry that I'm late, I got lost on the paths of life." Kakashi explained.

"Yeah right!" Hinata and Sakura shouted sarcastically.

"So when can we going to go on our next ninja mission Sensai? And no more of this beginner stuff okay? I want a chance to prove myself; I'm talking about a real mission!" Hinata's eyes then began to set on fire, "I got to break it out and burn it out. See?!"

"Uhh…right, I get it Hinata. Now, take it easy will you?" Kakashi says.

Though Squad Seven went on their next mission, it was a D-ranked which had them to pulling weeds, walking dogs, and picking trash. When they got back, Hinata became enraged by the fact that Sasuke did everything perfect while she accidentally pulled the weeds with the plants, got put into a mine field by a big dog, and worst of all, fell down a waterfall only to be saved by Sasuke her rival.

**After the D-ranked Mission...**

"Alright, I guess that I should file in my report then. See ya later." With that Kakashi disappeared and Sasuke walked off.

That was when a rectangular shaped box appeared behind Hinata though it wasn't camouflaged perfectly. Hinata notices the box and began to walk around only to have it follow her.

"Alright whoever you are! That disguise is completely obvious; everyone knows that there's no such thing as square rocks!" Hinata shouted.

"Ahh, so you have seen through my disguise. I'd expect nothing less from my rival." a familiar voice said.

A bright light blinded Hinata, Naruto and Sakura as an explosion occurred in front of them revealing none other than Konohamaru and a boy and a girl his age but they were coughing.

"I think we used too much gunpowder guys." Konohamaru says as they look up at Hinata.

"Hey Konohamaru, who are these two?"

The girl introduces herself first, "I'm Moegi, the sassiest kunoichi of pre-school!"

Then the boy introduces himself, "I love algebra, call me Udan!"

"And I'm the number one ninja in the village, Konohamaru."

All three of them did some kind of ridiculous pose and stuff.

_"I can tell that these three are lame,"_ Sakura thought, "Well any way, it's nice to meet you three. I'm Sakura."

"Hello there Sakura," Konohamaru says as he looks at Sakura's forehead. (A/N: Please don't say what I think you're going to say) "Wow, you've got quite the big forehead miss!" (A/N: *face palms* you're dead)

A tick mark appeared on Sakura's forehead as she punches Konohamaru in the face knocking him into a wall.

"Konohamaru!" Moegi and Udan shouted as they ran over to help their squad leader. "Are you okay?"

Konohamaru quickly recovered and gave Sakura an angry look, "What kind of female are you hitting a boy like me like that? You're a witch and you're ugly too!" (A/N: Well, time to dig Konohamaru's grave. *picks up shovel*)

Sakura began to crack her knuckles as she slowly walked towards Konohamaru scaring him. Konohamaru let out a loud scream.

**3 Minutes Later…**

Sakura was walking away as Konohamaru's face was all bruised up, some of his teeth were broken, "What's up with that girl? Did you see how big her fore head was?" (A/N: It was nice knowing you Konohamaru.)

Sakura immediately stopped and turned slowly towards Konohamaru as sounds of a machine turning is heard. A brief moment of dead silence fell and then Sakura began to run straight at Konohamaru with intent to kill him. Konohamaru then ran off as fast as he could. He didn't care where he was going as long as it's away from the enraged Sakura. But suddenly, Konohamaru bumped into someone. He opens his eyes to see a man and a woman looking at him. A man wore a black, baggy, full body suit with a red and yellow circle on the front. He also wears a black hood which covered his head completely, and had cat-like ears and his forehead protector on his forehead yet this one had a different symbol on it other than the leaf symbol.

The woman beside him had green eyes and blonde hair, which is gathered into four ponytails. Her outfit consists of a single light purple-colored, off-the-shoulders garment that extended to halfway down her thighs, with a scarlet sash tied around her waist. In addition to incorporating fishnet worn over her shoulders and legs, specifically on her right calf and her left thigh, she also wore her black forehead protector around her neck. Her name is Temari.

"Do you need something?" the man asks.

**With Kakashi…**

Kakashi had turned in his mission report to Iruka, "Thanks for the report Kakashi-Sensai. How's Naruto doing; is he getting along okay with the other students?" Iruka asks Kakashi.

"He's getting along pretty well in fact he's changed quite a bit. First he sacrificed himself for his comrades on a mission that went tough and then came back to save Hinata. After that mission was over he stopped stuttering a bit though he's still fainting when Hinata makes and sort of contact with him."

"That's good…It's been so long since I've seen him. I'm been getting a little worried about him."

**With Sasuke…**

Sasuke was walking down the road to his destination until he heard a voice.

"So…you're the famous Sasuke Uchiha that I've heard about."

Sasuke turned to see a man with raven hair, about his age, with a black ninja outfit with three swords strapped on his back.

"Yes I am, and what about it?"

"I was just making sure that the stories are true, that you survived the Uchiha massacre all those years ago. I want to ask for a favor, could you show me those eyes, the eyes of the Sharigan."

"So…you've heard about the Sharigan; can't say that I'm surprised."

"Indeed, you're the last of the Uchiha clan; it would be an honor to see the power of the Uchiha."

Sasuke smirked at the remark; "Very well then," Sasuke closes his eyes to concentrate. When he opened them his eyes changed to the color of red revealing his pupils to be surrounded by two dots.

_"So this is the power of the Sharigan. Just looking at him frightens me a little."_ "Magnificent…You are a strong one to say. Sorry to change to subject, but do you know a boy named Jotaro?"

Sasuke became confused at the man's question but answers, "Yes I do, but before you ask, no. We're not friends."

"I know that you aren't friends with Jotaro, in fact I don't like him either. But I need to give you a word of advice: Don't underestimate him. Jotaro's more than just an average kid, he's a…how can I put this…"

Everything went inaudible as the boy told Sasuke his statement about Jotaro. This statement shocks Sasuke, "What?! Are you serious?!"

The boy nodded yes as Sasuke became lost in his thought. _"There's no way that…Jotaro? Really?!"_

"It seems that my teammates are making things bad for another team. Before I depart, to thank you for showing me you Sharigan, I'll show a special power of my own." the boy closed his eyes to concentrate.

Sasuke was shocked to see that when the boy opened his eyes, his pupils were yellow and his face was covered in yellow dragon scales. _"N-No way! There are more people like Hinata?!"_

"I'm sorry that I've been shocking you…I normally don't show this power around other people but you made an exception."

"Wait! What's your name?"

"It's Okura Kawamata," with that the boy named Okura disappeared.

**With Squad Eight…**

Squad Eight were at their training ground waiting for a certain someone. Kiba was trying to flirt with Kinuko though she always brushes and ignores him. Shino stayed in his usual quiet tone as Kurenai taps her foot impatiently waiting for one more of her students.

_"Where's Jotaro? I know that he's a jerk at points but he's never late to training."_ Kurenai then notices a brown eagle in the sky, _"Hmm…I wonder…"_

**With Squad Ten…**

Squad Ten were taking a break from their training. Ino was happily eating while Choji munched away at his potato chips at inhumane speed. Shino stared at the clouds while Narahiko slept like a lazy bum. The Squad Leader, Asuma-Sensai, who was a tall man, with brown eyes, short, black spiky hair, and beard; his clothing consisted of the standard Leaf Village ninja uniform with the sleeves rolled up half way, flak jacket, regular shinobi sandals and forehead protector. He also had a cigarette in his mouth as he saw a brown eagle ahead.

_"Hmm…Now?"_

**With Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata…**

The man in the black outfit had Konohamaru's scarf in his hand as he lifted the boy up. Konohamaru struggled to get out of the man's grip but it was no use.

"Konohamaru!" Naruto shouted.

"So…does this hurt punk?" the man said tightening his grip.

"Put him down Kankuro, or you'll end up paying for it later." Temari said.

"Hey I'm sorry. The whole thing was my fault," Sakura says, "Who are they?"

"YOU BETTER TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF HIM RIGHT NOW!" Hinata's voice ranged loudly.

The man named Kankuro notices Hinata's forehead protector and smirked, _"So these are the Leaf Village's Genin." _"We've got a few minutes until they get here so let's mess with these punks."

Konohamaru then started kicking Kankuro trying to get him to let go. "Let go of my you jerk!"

"You're feisty, but not for long." he said tightening his grip.

Hinata couldn't stand it anymore; she rushes at Kankuro attempting to palm strike him, "Let him go!" However, something happened to the ground below as she was sent flying back.

"Looks like your village is full of wimps."

"They're outsiders from somewhere, but what are they doing here?" Naruto thought.

"Hey! Cut it out! It hurts!" Konohamaru shouted.

"That's it! Take him down now or I'll take you apart!" Hinata shouted.

Sakura however began arm choking her because of her stupidity, "You're the fool! Making threats isn't going to help Hinata!"

"You're annoying," Kankuro says, "all of you. I don't like runts or any other scrawny weaklings. When a wimp like this starts shooting off, I just want to break him in half."

Temari only sighed, "I've got nothing to do with this okay."

"First I'll waist this squirt, then I'll take care of the other ones."

As Kankuro tried to punch Konohamaru, a rock suddenly came flying out of nowhere and hit Kankuro's arm. The sound of a person tossing a rock and catching it is heard, "You're a long way from home and you're way out of your league."

Everyone turns to that it is Jotaro sitting on a tree branch giving cold looks.

"J-Jotaro…" Naruto says as he hides behind Hinata.

Hinata and Kankuro gave Jotaro cold looks while Temari gave a look of interest.

"Whoa, who's the hottie?" she thought.

"Another brat here to piss me off eh?" Kankuro asks.

Jotaro crushes the rock with his bare hand and dropped it in a form of dust, "Get lost!"

"Get lost you say, what if we don't?!"

Jotaro was silent as he stared at Kankuro.

"Heh, these are the people I despise the most. People who are all talk yet they can't back it off!" Kankuro takes off the strange backpack looking thing (I really don't know what was on his back) and slammed it on the ground.

"You're using the bird for this?" Temari asks.

"Heck yeah, I'll show that punk what happens when he smart talks like that!"

"Kankuro, that's enough." a voice ranged making Kankuro and Temari flinch in fear, "You're becoming an embarrassment to our village."

Everyone including Jotaro turned to see a boy with fair skin and short, spiky, auburn hair standing upside down on a branch next to Jotaro. He has predominantly blue and no distinctive pupils, or eyebrows. He has two very notable traits in his appearance: firstly, he has tanuki-like black eye rings. Secondly, he has a Japanese symbol on the left side of his forehead that says "love". The boy's forelocks are parted from the left side, making the kanji more visible. He wore black full body suit with t-shirt-like sleeves, three-fourths-length legs, and an open neck. With this, he wore a white cloth over his right shoulder and the left side of his hips, and a wide leather band system over the left shoulder and right side of his hips. With this leather band, he carried around a tan gourd. He also wrapped his black forehead protector over the band.

Both Temari and Kankuro had looks of fear in their eyes as Jotaro became confused.

"How long has he been there? He didn't even make a sound; only Kurenai and the other Jonin are able to be that smooth." Jotaro thought.

That was when a voice rang, "TEMARI! OHH I'VE MISSED YOU FOR A LONG TIME!"

Everyone turned to see that it was Okura who had heart in his eyes running towards Temari. "Ohh Temari my love, have you missed me? Well I've missed you!"

A tick mark appeared on Temari's forehead as Kankuro face palms himself, _"Why does this idiot constantly flirt with her/me?"_ they both thought.

Okura then notices Naruto and the others staring at them; though he only noticed Sakura and Hinata and walked over to them; then suddenly, he got out two roses as he bows down to Hinata and Sakura in a knight like fashion.

**(Sanji theme start) **

"Oh such beautiful maidens in front of my eyes, may I please ask for your names," Okura says.

"I'm Sakura," Sakura says a little annoyed.

"And I'm the number one hyperactive Leaf Shinobi, Hinata Hyuga." Hinata says in her tomboyish tone completely oblivious to the fact that Okura was flirting with her.

"Hello to you my princesses, I'm am the brave knight Okura of the-"before Okura could finish, Kankuro came and started pulling his ear.

**(End Sanji theme)**

"Come on lover idiot! It's about time that we once again have a little chat!"

"I'm sorry that my team caused so much trouble," the boy said.

Jotaro couldn't help but think, _"There's death in his eyes…I should watch out for him."_

The boy couldn't help but think either, _"This boy stopped Kankuro with just a pebble and made it look easy. I better keep an eye on him…"_ "I take my leave…"

"Wait!" Jotaro shouted, "What's your name?"

"My name is Gaara, the shinobi of the sand; remember that name well."

**At the Hokage Tower…**

Every Jonin teacher gathered at the Hokage office yet all of them were surprised that it's come so soon.

"Lord Hokage…are you entirely sure that they're ready for the exam?" Kakashi asks.

"Not to disagree with you, but Kakashi's got a point, what if it's too soon." Kurenai asks.

"What if they're not strong enough, they may end up dead if they take it so soon." Asuma says.

Sarutobi chuckled at the Jonin's questions, "Well that's why I'm going to give you enough time to prepare."

Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma were confused by Sarutobi's statement.

"I'm giving the Genin about a week to train and they are required to complete a C-ranked mission. In about one week, the start of the exam will commence, the Chūnin Exams."

* * *

**To Be Continued… **

**_Author's Note: So how do you like Okura? He's like an incarnation of Sanji from One Piece. Be sure to try and guess what he said to Sasuke and also try to guess what Nine-Tails said to Naruto in the last chapter. I like to play guessing games._**


	20. Squad Eight: Princess Natsuko Enoki

**_Author's Note: Alright, before I start the Chūnin Exams Arc, I'd like to make original stories for the other squads. So here's the first one, Squad Eight. Rated T starts from now on!_**

**Squad Eight: Princess Natsuko Enoki**

**(Flashback)**

"Now then…" Sarutobi had a stack of C-ranked mission near him as he shuffles though the file. "First up is Squad Eight; count your boys lucky Kurenai-Sensai, because your team is to escort a princess back to her kingdom."

Kurenai stood in shock as she face palms herself, _"Oh…why me…"_

** (End Flashback)**

Kurenai stood in front of her Genin students still waiting for Jotaro to show up. That was when their princess escort appeared. She was fair skinned with blue hair around Jotaro's age. She wore some kind of clothing that signals that she was from somewhere hot.

"Hello! You must be the team who will be escorting me. I'm Princess Natsuko Enoki from the Kingdom of Asalilla. It's nice to meet you."

"Hi there, I'm Kinuko!

"The name's Kiba and this is my pal Akamaru." "Aarph"

"Shino…" Shino says in his monotone.

"And I'm Kurenai-Sensai. I'm sorry if we can't go right away, a student of mine is really taking his "precious" time coming here."

Tick marks appeared on Kinuko's forehead.

_"Where is that punk?! I swear if he's busy messing with that boy again he won't live to see tomorrow!"_ Kinuko thought angrily.

That was when Jotaro finally showed up noticing his team's irritated looks while he sent irritated looks back, "Hughh…Look, before you ask; No, I wasn't messing with crybaby Naruto this time. I kind of meet someone who put me on edge that's all." Jotaro then notices their escorted. "Who's this girl?"

Tick marks appear over Kinuko's and Kiba's face and they thought, _"Just shut up, bastard!" _

Natsuko couldn't help but giggle at Jotaro's oblivious question. "I'm Princess Natsuko Enoki from the Kingdom of Asalilla. It's nice to meet you."

"Jotaro's the name; Okay lady, the sooner we get to wherever we're going, the sooner I can get back to training."

Jotaro ended up having his face slammed into a tree snapping it in half. Kinuko stood over Jotaro while surrounded by a red aura and gave him a leering look. "You jerk…you think you can just talk to the princess like that?! You're lucky that I can't knock you sorry ass off the planet!

Jotaro gave Kinuko a leering look as a green aura surrounded him, but that only got him three more hits to the head as three giant bumps appeared. Natsuko, however, became worried that the Genin are hurting each other and apologizes, but Kurenai comforts her by saying that this has happened on a daily basis.

"Well then, if we're all ready then let's go." Kurenai says as they headed out to Asalilla.

**Three Hours Later…**

The Squad arrives at a large lake side and decided to rest. Kiba went to feed Akamaru, while Shino still stayed silent and Kurenai and Kinuko were doing their hair. Natsuko notices that Jotaro was sitting next to the tree thinking to himself. The princess walks to the Genin's direction while she heard him talking to himself.

"I still remember the promise I made with you Rinako…I will show them…" Jotaro then grabbed his head in pain as strange memories of war course though his mind. "This again, why won't it stop?" Jotaro then notices that Natsuko was listening and stepped back. "How much did you here?"

"Not too much…Is there something that I shouldn't know about?" Natsuko asks.

"No…trust me; I don't want to talk about that day…"

"What day?"

Jotaro shook his head and gave Natsuko a leering look. "That's none of your business!" Jotaro then stormed off to be alone while Natsuko could only feel sadness for the boy.

**Later That Night…**

Everyone except Jotaro was asleep; he sat near the lake looking solemnly at his reflection. "Rinako…" a reflection of a smiling blond-haired girl was shown in the lake. However, the reflection quickly disappeared and reappeared showing a man in a black hood. Only Jotaro knew who this was as he put on a face of pure hatred and jumped into the water. He dived, dived deeper into the lake, _"No matter what happens, I WILL get that power!"_ He was interrupted when he realized that he was losing air. He quickly swam back to the surface coughing out water. A figure stood before him, it was none other than Natsuko who put a blanket over Jotaro.

"What were you thinking swimming in the water like that?!" she says. "You could have died being there too long!"

"Why should you care whether I die or not, you're not my mother!" he shouted startling Natsuko.

"It's because, you and the others are risking your lives for me, and it's the least I could do."

Jotaro couldn't believe what he was seeing. Natsuko was still smiling like his outburst didn't hurt her at all. He was about to say something but was interrupted by a sudden feeling. Jotaro then tackled Natsuko to the ground as seconds later; a kunai knife flew out of nowhere hitting the spot where the princess was. He then notices a piece of paper attached to it and picked up the princess and ran. A few seconds later, the kunai knife exploded causing everyone else to wake up and run outside.

"What's going on?" Kinuko shouted.

Akamaru then started barking with tension in his eyes, "What's wrong Akamaru?" Kiba asks his pup friend.

"He senses trouble, we better get ready." Shino says preparing his bugs.

Everyone else got out a kunai knife and surrounded Natsuko in a protection formation.

"Kinuko, can you figure out where the attack came from?" Kurenai asks.

"On it!" Kinuko performed a hand sign and concentrated. She then pointed to the east. "It came from over there."

Kinuko then felt movement heading for Shino's direction. _"Damn, it's so fast. I have no choice."_ "SHINO, WATCH OUT!" Kinuko pushed Shino away as a claw appeared out of nowhere. As the claw headed for Kinuko, she used her right arm to try and protect herself. When she did, the tips of the claw appeared to dig into her arm, causing small streams of blood to leak out of them. Kinuko tried to free her arm from its grip but as she struggled to break free, she saw the claw began to gash her arm, creating deep cuts in his arm. Using her other hand, she tried to open the claw and free herself.

"Hold on Kinuko!" Kiba shouted performing hand signs.

However, before he had time to help, Kinuko was sent flying at a man who performed hand signs, "Lightning Style…" the man then hit Kinuko in the stomach sending her into the air, "Flying Thunder God!" Then, they saw the man's body beginning to emit sparks, like he was conducting electricity from his body from the head to the feet. All of a sudden, his whole arm began flashing a white color, going from the arm all the way to the palm, which was embedded in Kinuko's stomach.

Everything else that happened to Kinuko was all a blur for everyone. The last thing Kinuko felt were large surges of electricity beginning to course through his body, causing every part of herbody went numb. At some point, she could have sworn she let out an agonizing scream of pain before she blacked-out completely.

Everyone watched as Kinuko's body went completely limp, her eyes appearing to roll to the back of her head as she fell to the ground.

"KINUKO!" Everyone shouted.

The raven-haired man smirked as he picked Kinuko's limp body. The man wore a black cloak, draping down to his knees. Underneath that, he wore bandages from his hips up to his neck. On his left hand, there was a large steel glove, with sharpened claws on his fingers. On his face was a gas mask of some sort, and a hidden cloud headband. This man is from the village hidden in the clouds.

"Well, well…if it isn't Princess Natsuko of Asalilla Kingdom…can't say it's good to see you again...partner" the man said.

"M-Mister 6!" Natsuko said in fear, "W-What are you doing here?"

"I think you already have an idea. There is a criminal here that made the boss dispatch me directly. The boss' exact words were, "Someone knows my secret." Just what that secret is of course, even I don't know. But, the organization's primary directive is "Secrecy". Therefore we do not tolerate any kind of investigation into the identity of our members. And if anyone learned anything about the boss' secret, naturally, they would have to be eliminated."

"_All for knowing someone's secret?!"_ Kurenai mentally asked.

"So, we all thoroughly investigated which person could have found out the boss' secret," Mr. 6 continued. "…and what a surprise! I discovered that important members of a certain Kingdom had infiltrated Raven Industries!"

_"A certain kingdom?"_ Kiba thought. His eyes then widen when he finally remember who Mr. 6 was talking about.

"The infiltrator is none other than the Kingdom of Asalilla's currently missing Princess Natsuko Enoki. By the order of the Boss of Raven Industries, you are to be eliminated, and since these ninjas unfortunately got themselves involved with you, they'll have to die with you, starting with this girl."

"Back off!" Kurenai said, "Demonic Illusions," Kurenai then disappeared out of plain sight. Mr. 6 suddenly was wrapped up by tree barks, "Tree Binding Death."

"Grr…Impossible! Genjutsu!" Mr. 6 shouted.

Kurenai then appeared in front of him and grabbed his throat, "Alright you…What are you Raven Industries punks planning?!"

"Our plan is to create an ideal nation…though I don't think you and your Genin brats will be able to stop us."

Kurenai only smirked as she said, "I wouldn't count my luck if I were you, there's more to these Genin than just simple Ninja techniques. But you won't be able to see their special talent." Kurenai then punched the man hard in the face breaking some of his teeth and knocking him unconscious.

Kurenai then turned to his students who were healing Kinuko. Though Kinuko suffered lightning damage, a quick jolt quickly got her back on her feet. She was a bit confused on what happened but Kurenai explained that Mr. 6 was taken care of.

"I'll send this Mr. 6 guy into the Leaf Village Police Force. In the mean time," Kurenai turned to Natsuko who was sitting on a rock, "Princess, what's going on here? Why is there an organization going out to kill you?"

Natsuko sighed as she says, "I guess I have no choice…In recent years, a call for revolution has emerged. The citizens began committing acts of insurrection, causing the land to fall into chaos. But one day, I heard the name of a secret organization: Raven Industries! I discovered that they were responsible for the rebellion. Aside from this, however, I was unable to find any further information. I decided to infiltrate Raven Industries. I thought that if I did, I could find out who was pulling the strings, and what his plans were."

"Pretty gutsy for a princess," Jotaro complimented. "So? Did you find out his true intentions?"

"The establishment of an Ideal Nation," Kurenai answered for the princess, who seemed shock to know that Kurenai knew of the plan. "Mr. 6 told me earlier. Could it be that...?"

"He claims that establishing this "Ideal Nation" is their purpose," Natsuko explained. "But that is a complete lie! Their true intentions are to steal the throne of Asalilla! I must hurry back to my country and prevent my people from joining the insurrection! If this continues-"

"So, who's the master mind?" Kiba asked the princess.

"The B-boss' true identity?!" she spoke in a shocked tone. "You shouldn't ask me that!"

"But you know who it is, don't you?" Shino asks.

"NO! I can't tell you! Ask me anything but that! If I told you, they'll hunt you down too!"

"Ahahah... Well, we don't want that to happen," Kinuko spoke. "And of course, trying to take over a whole nation... He must be an incredibly strong guy, right?"

"That's right. It doesn't matter how strong you are, there's no way you could stand up against one of the Elite Rouge Ninjas! NATSUME GOTO!"

Cue the moment of silence when she accidentally announced the leader's identity. It was broken when Kiba asked for the identity again, having the princess and Kinuko to be pale in shock.

"You just said it," Jotaro and Shino said in unison.

Everyone turned and saw a weasel in light blue coat with purple dots and a shell in its paws and an eagle with a hat. A couple seconds later, the weasel jumped on the eagle and they flew off.

"HEY! WHAT'S WITH THE WEASEL AND THE EAGLE?! ONE OF THE ELITE ROUGE NINJA IS GONNA BE AFTER US NOW! WHAT'RE WE GOING TO DO?!" Kinuko snapped at the princess with shark-like teeth and crying, the latter apologizing as she was being shaken by Kinuko and also crying.

Sparkles appear around Kiba, "Hey an elite rouge ninja? That's so cool!"

Jotaro smirked, "Not too bad."

"I'm so, so sorry! It just slipped out!" the princess apologized and reasoned.

"'SORRY WON'T DO US ANY GOOD! NOW YOU'VE GOTTEN US MIXED UP IN ALL THIS!" Letting go of Princess Natsuko, Kinuko began sobbing a bit. "We just got our first C-ranked mission and I'm marked for death by one of the Elite Rouge Ninja..."

"So I wonder when we get to meet this guy," Jotaro said.

"I wonder what he looks like?" Kiba asks.

"SHUT UP YOU TWO!" Kinuko snapped again, pointing at those two guys. "Though it wasn't for long, it was nice knowing you all!" she then said, walking away from them.

"Where're you going?" Kurenai asked.

"They don't know my face yet, so I'm outta here!"

The weasel and eagle drew pictures that look exactly like, Shino, Jotaro, Kinuko, Kiba, and Kurenai.

"Wow! You're good!" Kinuko complimented, clapping as they left for real. "NO! NOW I CAN'T EVEN RUN AWAY!?"

"Where was she planning on going anyway?" Jotaro asks.

"Beats me…" Kiba says.

"In any case, the four of us have been added to the Raven Industries' Death List!"

"Hahaha! This is so exciting!" Kiba laughed.

Kinuko sat with her legs close to her chest, facing a tree paled in fear by the fact that they'll be a constant target.

"Anyways…since this is the only C-ranked mission Lord Hokage could give us," Kurenai said folding her arms, "I guess we'll just have to finish it."

"Alright!" Kiba shouted, "Arph" Akamaru shouted.

Squad Eight along with the princess continued their journey to Asalilla Kingdom. Kiba and Jotaro were in front while Shino and Kurenai were beside Natsuko and Kinuko walk close behind still in a foul mood since their lives are at a high risk.

* * *

**To Be Continued…**

**_Author's Note: I hope that you enjoyed it and I'll see you next chapter. Be sure to review though._**


	21. An Old Broken Friendship

**An Old Broken Friendship**

**The next day...**

Kinuko was staring and Kiba, "Why don't you look at me?" asked Kinuko.

"No reason." Said Kiba.

"Alright, Spill it!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh really? Then how else could all of our food, which I divided evenly for everyone to hold us until we reach Asalilla suddenly go missing in the middle of the night?"

"I don't know."

"Okay then…hey you got something in your mouth." Kinuko pointed out.

"AAHH I FORGOT THE CRUMBS!"

"It was you!" yelled Kinuko kicking the idiot away.

To catch up… that day someone stole all of the food however he isn't the only ones guilty.

Kinuko knew that Akamaru raided the food supply too and gave the pup a good beating. "Pathetic, I can't trust anyone on this team…great what are we going to do?" asked Kinuko.

"Hey Princess Natsuko, how far is Asalilla?" asked Shino.

"Not far." Said Natsuko.

"Oh man and we ran out of food." said Shino.

"Can't we just ration what's left?" asked Kurenai joining the conversation.

"We can't they ate everything." said Kinuko.

The team then arrived at a nearby shore and decided to rest for a bit. Natsuko told them more about what was going on.

"So in Asalilla, Natsume's a hero?" asked Kurenai.

"Yes." said Natsuko, "He's one of the Elite Rouge Ninjas. And no one knows that his real goal is taking control Asalilla." sighed Shino.

"Whatever! I just have to kick this Natsume's ass, right?" said Jotaro.

"Yes, if we end the rebellion and expel Raven Industries, my kingdom will be saved." said Natsuko.

"But what kind of organization is Raven Industries… with all their numbers." asked Kiba.

"Well it's really simple." Said Natsuko, "You see Natsume is at the top of the list and his codename is Mr. 0. There are a huge number of people who take orders from him.

"Oh that's clever." said Jotaro sarcastically.

"All of the officer Agents are 5 and above." said Natsuko. "I have no idea what Natsume's abilities are… but I do know that both he and his high ranked offices are exceptionally skilled." said Natsuko.

"Oh wow…" said Kurenai.

"So that Raven Industries, right?" asked Kinuko.

"That's right." said Natsuko.

"All right!" yelled Kiba, "We'll kick his ass then save Asalilla!"

"You didn't follow any of that… did you?" asked Jotaro.

Kiba didn't answer which could be taken as a yes.

"So wait…" said Kinuko, "If the goal is taking over Asalilla."

"Then yes… the Officer Agents will be coming together." said Natsuko.

There was a silence on the ship, not knowing what they had gotten themselves into.

"Well I love this," Kiba shouted, "Let's crack some heads." "Aarph" But then, Kiba's stomach growled, "I'm so hungry." whined Kiba.

"You're always hungry!" yelled everyone but Shino.

That's when a sea monster that looked like a dog appeared.

"W-What is that thing?" Kinuko asks in fear.

"IT LOOKS LIKE FOOD TO ME!" yelled Kiba and Jotaro getting out as many kunai knives as they could possibly carry.

"Just ignore them?" asked Kinuko.

"Just ignore them." said Kurenai with a nod.

"Idiots…" muttered Shino.

The squad continued their way… ignoring the sea monster… well sort of… Jotaro almost killed the monster and Natsuko had to knock some sense into them with a mace she happened to have some bizarre reason.

"Where did you get that?" asked Kiba.

"I have no idea." said Natsuko who then turned to the idiots, "We can eat that animal. It's a Sea dog, their scared in Asalilla."

"You didn't have to tell us like that." said Kiba rubbing his head.

"Don't worry… we'll have plenty to eat very soon." Said Natsuko.

"I think we're in Asalilla's country zone." Kurenai says.

"The Sea Dog confirms it." said Natsuko.

"And so does that." said Jotaro.

Jotaro pointed to a ton convoy of soldiers in the distance… which all they had the Raven Industries mark on them.

"Those must be the Billions." Said Natsuko.

"All right! Let's kick their asses!" yelled Kiba.

"Let's just forget them." Said Jotaro.

"Why!" yelled Kiba.

"There's only 6 of us… and 200 of them… use your head Dobe…" said Jotaro.

"What was that?!" yelled Kiba but he ignores him, "All right! Now let's go get food! Oh and save Alabasta…"

"Why was that an afterthought?!" asked Kinuko.

The team has finally arrived at the Kingdom of Asalilla but Kiba and Akamaru got off the ship and ran for the nearest restaurant.

"Kiba! Akamaru! Where do you think you're going!" yelled Kinuko.

"Food! Arph!" both yelled.

"Those idiots…" sighed Jotaro.

In a restaurant nearby it seems like someone died… turned out he was just sleeping, he was boy around Jotaro's age, and he had freckles had a couple of scars on his face and he also wore a black outfit.

"Hey, so what brings you to these parts?" the restraint owner asks.

"Just looking for a certain someone." Said the man.

**Meanwhile at the ship…**

"Those idiots…" muttered Kinuko, "They have to remember there are enemies who know their faces."

"Let's not worry about them." Said Jotaro.

**With Kiba…**

Outside Kiba and Akamaru found a restaurant… the exact restaurant that the boy was in… Akamaru climb onto Kiba's back while he rushes at extreme speed to go into the Restaurant… when the idiot duo got in… crashing into the boy and sent him though several buildings… shock everyone in them.

"Food please!" said Kiba.

"Aarph!" Akamaru shouted.

"And  
get some dog food for my friend!" Kiba shouted.

That's when the boy came through the hole with anger on his face.

"Hey!" yelled the boy, "What the hell is the big idea?!"

Kiba and Akamaru were too busy eating to notice the boy yelling at them.

"You think that was funny?! I should kill you guys now but I have bigger fish to fry!" and with that, the boy left. _"He's close, I can feel it."_

Meanwhile in the ruins of an abandoned building, Natsuko had just gone shopping for everyone including food and clothes. Jotaro however was on constant edge, his heart was beating heavily, and he was sweating. Everyone but him began to leave to search for Kiba and Akamaru.

"Jotaro, is there something wrong?" Kinuko asks.

"Guys, you go on ahead. I'll catch up!"

"What's wrong Jotaro?" Natsuko asks.

"It's nothing…"

"But why won't you just tell me what's on your mind?"

On a rooftop, the boy Kiba meet watched them from above; _"I finally found him…Jotaro…"_ hatred filled his tone of thought.

Back with Squad Eight, "I'll be fine, you guys go and find Kiba and Akamaru. I promise that I'll come back."

They were all hesitant, but they agreed and left to find Kiba. Kurenai, however made a shadow clone hid behind an all behind Jotaro while they were talking. Silence filled the air as Jotaro scanned his surroundings. He then sighed, "You can come out now Ichiyo; I know it's you."

The boy Kiba meet in the restaraunt, whose name is Ichiyo, jumped off the building and landed in front of Jotaro.

"Well,well,well…how have you been "buddy". Ichiyo says.

"Tired…" Jotaro answered.

"Aww…that's cute. Hahaha."

"Did I say something funny?"

"You are so smug you know that! Acting all high and mighty, what are you my dad? You're nothing but a damn showbo!"

"Ichiyo, just listen to…"

"NO! YOU LISTEN TO ME! 10 years man; 10 YEARS! Do you realize how long that is?!"

"I know, I know but…"

"No,no,no,no, you see, that's the thing you DON'T know! After you left our village, a man in a black coat came by and killed all of our friends and comrades. I knew something was up; you timed you leaving and the appearance of this man too perfectly and I came to a conclusion. You abandoned us Jotaro!"

"A man in a black coat…"

"Well as you can see, I'm perfectly alive, in fact I moved up in the world without you. Some friend you turned out to be."

"Wait Ichiyo, I've had it worse too. That same man in the black coat killed Rinako!"

"So he's got her too…Maybe she would have been alive today if you had stopped him!"

"Ichiyo, you don't fully understand what happened that night…and besides why would you blame me, your best friend, for what happened. You're smarter than that Ichiyo, what would Kinuyo have to say if she was here?"

"Oh don't try to point fingers at me; you're not exactly Mr. Perfect either. Kinuyo was just a flame, an arrogant child who constantly tried to win my heart."

"Well maybe you should explain that to her. All those times waiting for a signal from you, all those nights she couldn't sleep; YOU ABANDONED HER!

"Kinuyo? No…I didn't mean to…"

"Give me a break at least I tried. Besides, the Third Hokage told me…"

"Whoa back up! When the hell did the Third Hokage have to do with all this?"

Jotaro backed up at the question, "I…"

"You knew, didn't you…"

"I…"

"Wait you knew?!"

"Ichiyo wait."

"Oh my God! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU LIED TO ME!"

"Okay, okay, maybe I did know, but I was protecting you!"

"And who says anything about needing protection, just look at me now. You better get use to it buddy'ol'pal, cause now I'm calling the shots here."

"Heh, It's not like it matters…because I can beat anyone."

Silence filled the air after Jotaro's statement. Ichiyo however started laughing, "I'm sorry Jotaro, but you and I both know…you've always lost to me. In fact I don't recall you ever being able to beat me."

"Then today's the day that I do!" Jotaro shouted as he got out a kunai knife and charged at Ichiyo.

* * *

**To Be Continued…**

**_Author's Note: Guys, I hope that you're not mad because I'm doing a story based on One Piece. I mean, you didn't have a problem with Okura being the incarnation of Sanji, but you have a problem with me making a story based on the Alabasta Arc? Well let me tell you, this story won't be the exact same I can guarantee you that. Please review and make sure not to call me names. I'm looking at you Hoytti!_**


	22. You Don't Know Me: Jotaro vs Natsuko

**You Don't Know Me: Jotaro vs. Natsuko**

Jotaro went on all fours on the ground after gaining a serious blow from Ichiyo. The battle went by fast since Ichiyo was stronger and faster than Jotaro. Ichiyo began laughing at Jotaro's weakness. "You're naïve Jotaro; all wrapped up in the past. Yet you still walk the ninja road. How do you expect to even avenge Rinako with your pathetic strength?

Jotaro was panting so hard that he couldn't even answer, while Ichiyo performed hand signs.

"You're finished! Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Ichiyo blasted a ball of fire at Jotaro who couldn't even move due to his injuries. Just when Jotaro was about to get hit, Kurenai's clone jumped out and saved him.

"K-Kurenai-Sensai…" Jotaro said as he lost consciousness.

"This boy," she thought as she looked at Ichiyo, "He must be as strong as me if he was able to beat Jotaro so easily."

"Ahh…the Jonin of Jotaro's squad…and I was ready to kill him too. Ahh well…I guess I can kill him next time. Count him lucky!" With that Ichiyo disappeared.

Kurenai managed to get Jotaro back to the rest of the team.

**(In Jotaro's dream)**

Jotaro walked through the darkness hoping to somehow get out. He then saw a bright light engulf him as he heard a familiar voice, "Jotaro…"

"Rinako!" Jotaro found himself in a meadow filled with flowers. As he looked around, he then felt happiness in his heart, "Oh…I've missed this place so much…" He then saw a younger version of him with a tall blond-haired woman. She wore a golden dress with a golden tiara. The woman turned to the young Jotaro as he sniffed the flowers that were growing. She smiled and said, "Hey Jotaro, do you have a dream?"

"A dream?" Jotaro asks in confusion, "A dream…well…I've seen some ninja people lately! They all seemed really cool and pretty strong!" A light bulb appeared over his head, "I got it! I'll become the greatest ninja in the world!"

Rinako smiled at the young Jotaro's naivety and rubbed his head, "I'm sure that you will, and I'll become the greatest Hokage of the Leaf Village. I'll never go back on my word; that's my ninja way!"

The real Jotaro looked at the two in envy, "I…I don't have that dream anymore…ever since the tragedy happened, all I want, is for your…

**(End Dream)**

Jotaro shot his head out panting hard as he sees that he's in a bedroom. Shino woke up seeing Jotaro awake, "Jotaro…you've finally woke up. You've been a big pain for the past few days…Kiba had to carry your unconscious body."

"I see…" Jotaro said.

"What? Not an insult or back talk? What's the matter?" Shino asks.

"It's nothing…" Jotaro then went back to sleep.

**Meanwhile…**

The Raven Industries Members were sitting in a room with a long table. There were four members in there: Mr. 3, a raven haired man with white shirt with a red jacket, black pants and a scar on his left eye. Mr. 4, a blonde haired man with black shirt, red pants, and piercings all over his face. Ms. 5, a ravened haired woman with a cow boyish outfit with white boots. She was tapping her foot impatiently, "Grr…when are they going to get here?! I'm sick and tired of all this damn waiting!"

"Calm down Ms. 5, we don't like waiting either, but our boss must be the kind of person who wants to be fashionably late," Mr. 4 said.

"Well if you ask me," Mr. 3 said, "I'm just about ready to blow something up what about you!"

"Will you shut up!" all of them shouted, "Your constant shouting is annoying as hell!"

That's when Ms. 2 arrived. She wore a black dress with black boots.

"It's good to see you all here."

"Where the hell are we?" asked Ms. 5.

"You took the back roads so it's no wonder you don't know where we are. We're in Sunbase, the town where many people hope to find fortune... we're in the tallest building in town Sun Dinners." explained Ms. 2.

"Let's get started already!" yelled Mr. 3.

"Hold on… we have to introduce you all to my old friend." said Ms 2. "Until now I acted as the boss' face and mouth piece but that's no longer necessary."

"That's right…" came a voice. That's when a chair at the end spun around revealing Natsume; the members of the Raven Industries were shocked. Natsume whore a gray and black striped shirt with a black jacket, brown pants, and is smoking a cigarette.

"I see you recognize him." said Ms. 2.

"That's some VIP that just showed up." said Mr. 3.

"I recognize him! He's one of the Elite Rouge Ninjas!" yelled Ms. 5.

"What hell is going on here!" yelled Mr. 4.

"We're henchmen to a rouge ninja?!" yelled Mr. 3.

"You're our boss?!" yelled Mr. 4.

Natsume smirked, "Indeed, I'm more than just a gambling owner. I'm not interested in Money or Status… what I want is military might."

"Military might?" asked Mr. 3.

And so Natsume revealed it… which won't be said for now…

"Is that really in this kingdom?" asked Mr. 4 who looked interested.

"So this was the final goal we've been working for all along?" asked Mr. 5.

"Correct that since the very beginning of Raven Industries everything we've done was in preparation for this." Said Natsume, "Time has come for Asalilla to disappear."

Before each member of Raven Industries was a piece of paper… they read it and it held their instructions…they began to read them then they brined them.

"When your missions have been carried out the rebels and citizens will fall under Raven Industries. In a single night, this kingdom will become our utopia." Said Natsume, "This is Raven Industries' ultimate plan, Operation Utopia. Failure is not an option. We begin at 7 o'clock in the morning."

"Right." said almost everyone at the table.

"I pray for your success." Said Natsume.

**The Next Day...**

It was morning and Squad Eight were preparing to leave.

"I'm sorry you had to see this sight Princess." said a good friend of Natsuko.

"You don't have to apologize." Said Natsuko.

The man then turned to Kiba and handed him a small barrel.

"Here Kiba… thanks to you I was able to find damp sand. I was able to extract it." said the man.

"Thank you, I don't know what that means but I'll drink it extra slowly." said Kiba.

"What did you do?" Jotaro asks.

"I helped this man dig for water all night and he finally found it." said Kiba.

And so they headed into the desert, when they got to a tree, Jotaro sat down unmoving.

"Jotaro, what's wrong?" asked Natsuko.

"I quit." said Jotaro.

"What!" yelled everyone but Shino.

"What do you mean you quit?" asked Kinuko. "We don't have time you be laying around! We have to go!"

"You're going back to your capital, right?" asked Jotaro.

"Of course we're going back. We have to stop the rebels. Otherwise this whole county's going to explode in bloodshed. This is for Natsuko, now let's go!" yelled Kiba.

"It's ridiculous in my opinion!" said Jotaro.

_"Hmmm… so that's his game…"_ Kurenai thought.

"Natsuko…" said Jotaro.

"Yes…" answered Natsuko.

"I want to kick Natsume's ass." said Jotaro, "Stopping the rebels won't stop him. There's nothing we can do in your capital city. There's nothing we can do to stop them."

The others stared at them.

"But…" said Natsuko.

"You think you can stop the rebels without anyone getting killed? That none of us and your people killed. We're fighting one the Elite Rouge Ninjas and a million people itching for a fight. That's Naïve!" explained Jotaro.

"Shut up Jotaro! Of course Natsuko cares about her people" yelled Kinuko.

"Stop… she needs to hear this." said Kurenai.

"What's wrong about that?! What's wrong with not wanting people to die?" asked Natsuko.

"Because People die." Answered Jotaro. "Some of them would even sacrifice themselves for you."

That's when Natsuko punched Jotaro in the face. "Shut up! Don't say things like that! Say that again and you'll be sorry! I'm trying to stop the rebels and the royal army! I don't want anyone to risk their lives for me! That's something you could never understand!"

That statement made Jotaro punch Natsuko hard in the face. Everyone was shocked by this sudden attack from Jotaro. Jotaro then picked up Natsuko and held her face closer to his.

"Jotaro stop!" yelled Kiba.

_"That idiot just crossed a line..."_ thought Kurenai.

"You watch your mouth…" Jotaro said, "You just told me that I don't understand what it feels like to have someone you care about sacrifice themselves to save you…when I was about to say that I DO!"

That's when Natsuko stopped she began to cry as Jotaro explained, "A close friend of mine, in fact, the only friend I ever made, sacrificed herself to save me…I was a child back then…I don't know why HE came after me but…if it wasn't for her…I wouldn't be alive today." Jotaro then turned to Natsuko, "The truth is that you want to kick Natsume's ass more than anyone, right?"

Everything became silent… as Kurenai and Kinuko comforted the Princess… Jotaro broke it by saying, "Okay… where can I find this Natsume?"

* * *

**To Be Continued…**

**_Author's Note: Alright, almost done with Squad Eight's story. Please review!_**


	23. Squad Eight vs Raven Industries

**_Author's Note: I know all of you are frustrated and want to get to the Chūnin Exams so here's the last chapter of this part of the story. I'm so sorry for holding over so please enjoy! WARNING! THIS IS THE LONGEST CHAPTER I'VE EVER MADE!_**

**Squad Eight vs. Raven Industries**

Squad Eight has finally arrived at Sunbase…

"All right! Let's go kick Natsume's Ass!" yelled Kiba.

"Does he have to yell that out?" asked Jotaro.

"He's Kiba… so yeah…" said Shino.

"So do you think Raven Industries knows we're here?" asked Kurenai.

"Probably." answered Natsuko, "We know that the messenger squad sent the agents out photographs so it is possible."

"So?" asked Kiba.

"They know what we look like so we have to make a plan." said Kinuko.

"But the question is that do we have the time…do we have the time do come up with a good plan?" asked Kurenai.

"She's right… we don't have the time." sighed Natsuko.

"All right! Then let's go kick Natsume's ass!" yelled Kiba.

That's when Kinuko sighed… today wasn't her day.

"All right!" yelled Kiba.

That's when Kiba yelled out, "Water!" and ran towards the city.

This made everyone sweat drop…

**In Town, at a Local Bar…**

That's when Kiba and Akamaru rushed through the door entering the bar.

"All right! 10 Barrels of water!" yelled Kiba

After a few seconds of each of them drinking from a barrel they did spit take at when they finally noticed… right on the three Raven Industries' thugs…

"Hey! Those are the two ninja's the boss told us about!" a thug said.

"Let's get 'em!" another said.

"Ha-ha…Sorry guys but I think I left my oven running!" Kiba and Akamaru ran off followed by the thugs.

**Meanwhile…**

In a quiet out of the way spot, the other Squad Eight were waiting, apparently before the two idiots got into the bar, Kinuko gave them some money to buy 10 barrels of water. "You think it was a good idea to send just them?" asked Jotaro.

"Don't worry. It's just a simple errand." said Kinuko. "They'll be fine."

"I don't know they are trouble magnets." said Jotaro.

"Don't worry. It's not like they'll show up being chased." Kurenai said.

That's when Kiba and Akamaru showed up… being chased by Raven Industries thugs…

"Oh great…" muttered Shino.

"They're leading them right towards us!" yelled Kinuko.

"Hey! The Raven Industries thugs are chasing after us!" yelled Kiba.

"That's because you led them here!" yelled Jotaro.

As they were running though the city.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, I mean…" said Kinuko.

Jotaro noticed the members of Raven Industries looking at pictures… and knew right away what it meant. "Too late," He said.

"Let's go!" yelled Kiba, "To Natsume's Place!"

Natsuko nodded, "Right! You that building with a Panther! That's Rain Dinners, Natsume's casino." said Natsuko.

"We should split up!" said Kurenai.

"Good idea." said Jotaro.

"Okay let's meet at Natsume's Place!" yelled Kiba.

They randomly broke into different groups. At the entrance to the pyramid shaped casino that had a large lake around it, Kinuko arrived the same time as Shino. That's when Barouche Works members showed up to attack them.

"Damn it!" yelled Shino.

Just in time, Kurenai knocked them out.

"That was lucky." said Shino.

"Kurenai where's Natsuko?" asked Kinuko.

"I told her to go on ahead, she's not here?" asked Jotaro.

That's when Kiba and Akamaru still being chased showed up. "Into the building! Quick!" yelled Kiba.

And so everyone ran into the casino. "Here we come Natsume!" yelled Kiba.

And so they entered the Casino.

"Come on out Natsume!" yelled Kiba.

Everyone in the squad stared at Kiba.

"Don't yell that out Kiba!" yelled Kinuko as she whacked him in the head. "He's a hero here! Do you want the customers to wear you pieces?"

That when everyone realized something. "Natsuko… is the only one who knows what he looks like." sighed Kurenai.

"Where is she?" asked Kinuko.

"Natsume! Natsuko!" yelled everyone but Shino.

More Raven Industries thugs came rushing through the entrance.

"Oh great…" muttered Kiba, "Let's run!".

As they ran… they got a rather big surprise… they were being welcomed into the VIP room! "What the!" yelled Kiba.

"It's a trap for sure!" said Shino.

"Either way, he's got style." said Kiba with a smirk. "Let's go!"

And so the Ninja squad all fell the stupidest trap ever! Seriously… it was really that stupid!

"You know… that was a clever trap." Said Kiba.

"That's because you were stupid enough to play into his hands!" yelled Kinuko.

It was indeed true, when they went into the VIP room they headed for the sign headed for ninja… which was why it was the stupidest trap ever!

"Honestly, I didn't expect for you to fall for such an idiotic trap. I was hoping to get you with a really good one," said a voice.

They turned their attention to Natsume he was in the room where the cage was, it was a rather nice room. With chandlers… and looked like was a dinner was set up.

"Natsume!" mutter Kurenai.

"So that's Natsume…" said Shino.

Kinuko was over reacting by sticking her arms into the air.

"You know, we're already their captive so that's a little pointless." said Shino with a sweat drop.

"You Natsume! Fight me!" yelled Kiba.

"Well you did make it this far Leaf Ninja; I never thought I would meet any of you, now that I have I have to kill you." said Natsume.

"Please tell me you don't have a monologue set up where you tell us what you're grand scheme is and kill us in a ridiculous yet slow manner which somehow we escape from in a bizarre way." said Kiba.

"Um… no." said Natsume.

"Good because that's really annoying," said Kurenai.

Natsume couldn't help but to roll his eyes. "Besides, our guest of honor still hasn't arrived yet." said Natsume.

"Man… I really hope Jotaro can get here before he tries to kill us." Said Kurenai.

A few minutes later it was decided that they needed to pass the time.

"I'm Jotaro" said Kiba doing a pretty good impersonation imitating Jotaro's concept except making a few changes like him being derpy and sounding gay, "Hey who ate all the meat?"

Akamaru laughed really hard earning Kinuko's wrath. "Would you guys…" she turned around and knocked Kiba and Akamaru hard on the head, "GET SERIOUS?! Right now isn't the time goof off!"

"But we're just killing time." Whined Kiba.

"Look! We need to get together and figure something out." Said Kinuko who then turned to Shino and then whacked him, "And no napping."

"Is it morning already?" asked Shino.

"It's still the same day!" yelled Kinuko.

Natsume laughed, "You know you're a spirited girl." said Natsume.

"You rat, enjoy that sense of control while you can. When these guys get out, they're going to kick you're ass higher than that clouds, isn't that right Kiba." said Kinuko.

"Right!" yelled Kiba.

"Natsume!" came a voice.

Almost everyone turned to a large staircase, at the stairs stood Natsuko, who was very angry for obvious reasons.

"Well Princess Natsuko of Asalilla! Welcome! You did well to make it this far getting passed all of my assassins." said Natsume.

"I would follow you the ends of the earth! That's how much I want you dead!" yelled Natsuko.

"Oh I won't die, but you're miserable little kingdom soon will." said Natsume with an evil smirk.

Natsuko became very angry, that's when she took out two katanas, "If it weren't for you! My country would be peace!"

She ran down the stairs with her katanas as she prepared the attack.

"Wait Natsuko! Open the cage first!" yelled Kiba.

Natsuko then used the katana to decapitate Natsume.

"No way!" yelled Kiba.

That's when they noticed Natsume performed a Substitution Jutsu as he appeared behind Natsuko. Natsume grabbed Natsuko from behind.

"Oh come on Princess, you of all people should know about my ninja skills." said Natsume. "It's time. Time for Operation Utopia to begin. 7 o'clock."

Everyone's eyes widened when they heard this.

**In the capital of Auburn…**

4 officer guards were told horrible news.

"What do mean that the king is missing!" yelled a guard.

"He's not in the room! He's nowhere to be found!" yelled another guard.

"Maybe he left in the middle of the night."

"That's absurd! The entire palace is under surveillance!"

"But there are always ways to leave the palace to go unnoticed… this is too troublesome."

"Go scour the city and find him."

"Right!"

The guards got a bad feeling… They had a feeling that someone was behind this and with what was going on…it got worse when news spread where the king was… in Nanchang…

The king had ordered to set fire to the town, a kid tried to attack the king only for the king to kick him away. That's when **Micheil, one of Natsuko's closest friends**showed up…After some harsh words including the King saying that he was the one that caused the droughts, Micheil was shot by the royal guards!

That's also when suddenly out of seemingly nowhere… a giant ship crashed into the city. Causing the fires to get to worse and parts of the city to collapse! Everyone in the city ran for their lives… well almost, Ms. 2 and Mr. 4 walked though the town like nothing was going on.

"Seems a little too easy for the Grand finale." said Mr. 4.

"What did you expect?" asked Ms 2.

On another nearby building Mr. 3 smirked and performed a handsign.

"Do you hear something" asked a town's person.

"It sounds like someone playing the flute." said another town's person who heard this.

That's when there more explosions and screams of pain… Mr. 4 watched and smirked. _"That's one of his Genjutsu… the ability to create illusions… none of those explosions or people getting injured are real…"_ thought Mr. 4 as he watched what was going on.

Elsewhere the King and his men had run away… the king performed a handsign. Wait! He was Ms. 5!

Unfortunately for Ms. 5, the kid that tried attack the "king" and was kicked away saw everything. He turned around to tell everyone when he bumped into someone.

"Hey... kid…" said the person… who turned out to be Ms. 2, "What did you see?"

Five minutes later…members of the rebels had found the kid injured, he tired to warn them that the king was a fake but his injuries were too grave and everyone thought that royal army did it… little did they know that the real assailants were leaving town in the same in the cart that brought them to the meeting. With the news of what happened, both the Rebels and Royal Army took up arms for one final battle…

Back at Sunbase, Natsume laughed an evil laughter, he knew it already began. Natsuko shook as she was now tied to a chair.

"How could you…" whispered Kinuko.

Well what do you think of this Princess Natsuko, the Master Plan which you once part of is now coming to fruition. Listen carefully and you can hear the death rattles of Asalilla; and all of them believing that they are the ones defending Asalilla!"

"Stop! How could you do this! You're inhuman!" yelled Natsuko.

"Damn it! We have to get out of here now!" yelled Kiba.

Natsume began to explain all the things he had to do for his master scheme to work.

"He going to kill us now, isn't he?" asked Kiba.

"I don't know… he hasn't brought out his insanely evil device that will slowly kill us in a ridiculous manner." aid Shino.

"You know… if this cage what made out pure steel I would attacked him in the middle of that monologue, after all he's a big target right now." Said Kurenai.

"Good one…" said Kiba.

"Thanks…" said Kurenai.

"Do you know what I want with Asalilla Princess?" asked Natsume.

"How should I know what goes on in that rotten mind of yours!" yelled Natsuko.

"Such a sharp tongue Princess!" said Natsume.

That's when Natsuko purposely fell off her chair and began to crawl.

"Come now Your Highness. What do you think you're doing?" asked Natsume.

"I'm going to stop it! There's still time! I just have to get to Auburn!" yelled Natsuko, "If I get there before the rebel army does then maybe I stop the slaughter."

"What a conscience, I was about to leave for Auburn myself. I need to ask your father a question." said Natsume.

"Haven't you done enough to my father!" yelled Natsuko.

"Who do you value more, your father or your people? If you're welcome to come with me if you want." said Natsume taking out a key.

"A key!" yelled Natsuko.

"Is that a key to the cage! Give me that right now!" yelled Kiba.

Natsume tossed into the air… which landed into a trap door down in the water.

"The choice is yours Princess," said Natsume with an evil smirk.

And that's how things got worse!

Natsuko sat at the trap door… staring down at the key. That's when Natsume brought up something. "You know there's time to prevent the royal army and the rebels from slaughtering each other. You have 8 hours before the slaughter begins. I don't think you'd be able to get there in time. It would take longer for you reach that from here." Said Natsume, "You can save your people but you'll have to leave right now. Or you can save your friends, unfortunately I dropped the key. Well those are your choices."

"This entire room is an underwater chamber!" yelled Kinuko who then realized.

"Oh sorry about that! Everything I drop in there sinks to the bottom. How will you figure out where it is and how to even swim to the bottom?" said Natsume.

"Why you!" yelled Kinuko.

"If I could only open this cage…" muttered Kurenai.

"But we can't because the key sank to the bottom." said Kiba.

"That's the point." said Shino.

"Well then, I'll be off." said Natsume, "Oh yes, in one hour this room will be a fish tank. I used this room as president of Raven Industries but I won't be needing it any more. Soon this room will be flooding."

"Death trap my ass… slowly flooding this room is a death trap…" muttered Kiba with Akamaru nodding in agreement.

"A multitude of citizens or 4 ninjas, it's your choice princess!" said Natsume

Natsume began to leave, "In this situation, even a Princess is powerless. Like the young rebels."

"The water's coming in!" yelled Kinuko.

"Natsuko! Do something!" yelled Kiba.

"Everyone quiet!" yelled Kurenai, "This yelling won't do anything... if you calm down then maybe Natsuko will be able to think straight."

Everyone looked out the cage and saw that Natsuko was contemplating killing Natsume right there… But in the end didn't do anything.

"Natsuko do something!" yelled Kiba.

This yell made Natsume laugh, "Begging for your life Leaf Shinobi? But of course even you fear death."

"If we die here! I'm going to kick his ass!" yelled Kiba.

This one sentence gave silence to the room... until Natsume began to laugh. "Don't' be so full of yourself brat." said Natsume.

"You're the one that's a little child!" yelled Kiba.

"He just said that to one of the Elite Rouge Ninja…" muttered Kinuko.

That's when everyone heard some sort of ringing; they turned to Natsume who was leaving. He picked up a telephone. After some sort awkward thing where the person on the other end was having trouble, they really get to talking… After some conversation the person on the other end used the term "Restaurant Le Crap"…

"Looks like we'll have some help…" said Kinuko with a slight sweat drop.

"Did you hear that?" asked Kiba.

"Yeah… it's him…" said Kinuko who then whispered, "He always talk to people like that."

"Jot!" yelled Kiba but was cut off by Kinuko.

"Wait Kiba! He doesn't recognize his voice…" whispered Kinuko.

_"That's right…"_ thought Natsuko, "Jotaro is still outside…"

"Who are you?" asked Natsume.

"Me? I'm Mr. Prince." Said Jotaro… um… "Mr. Prince" on the other end of the line.

"Figures he'd use a code name like that…" said Kinuko with a big sweat drop.

"So where are you?" asked Natsume.

"Mr. Prince" refused to tell him… for certain reasons.

"Mr. Prince! Help us! We've been captured!" yelled everyone but Shino and Kurenai.

"I know… I already knew you were there with them." Said "Mr. Prince", "Well I think…"

That's when "Mr. Prince" was cut off by what sounded like a fight.

"That will teach you!" yelled a new voice.

"What!" yelled Kiba.

"Hello! Boss! We got him!" came the new voice.

"No…Jotaro…" cried Natsuko.

"Where are you?" asked Natsume.

"Why the front gates." said the person on the snail phone.

"That idiot got himself killed…" Shino.

"No!" yelled Kiba.

"There goes our last hope…" cried Kinuko.

That's when the snail phone hung up.

"Excellent! Front gates" laughed Natsume.

"There's still time before water floods this room. I'm going to find help!" yelled Natsuko.

"Go! I have a gut feeling that Jotaro might still alive." said Kiba.

"Kiba's right! Go look for them!" yelled Kurenai.

That's when they noticed that Natsume appeared in front of Natsuko and pushed her to the ground. The question was how he got over there so fast when he was half way across the room.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked Natsume. "If you care about them so much, I'll let you drown with them. I'll even bring along Mr. Prince…if you don't mind corpses." said Natsume.

And so he left the room. Natsuko laid there unconscious while her friends tried to wake her up. That was when a familiar figure stood before her. Natsuko wakes up to see that it was Jotaro.

"Jotaro? So what happened outside?" asked Natsuko, "Weren't you shot?"

"Heh! I used a decoy and a man to trick Natsume. So these are the bars that are holding you guys over?" Jotaro asks.

"Yeah! But you'll need to get the key!" Kiba pointed out.

"Heh! I guess I'll have to use it." Jotaro then performed a hand sign

"Jotaro…what are you…" Kurenai couldn't finish as she was shocked by what she saw.

Jotaro's eyes became white as veins surrounded his eyes which looked like…the Byakugan?! Kurenai, Kiba, Akamaru, and Kinuko were extremely surprised at this. There is no way that Jotaro could be a Hyuga since he doesn't have the same eyes Hinata has.

"Surprised? I honestly don't know where this power came from. Now stand back." Jotaro then got into a Hyuga fighting stance and palm striked the bars destroying them.

Meanwhile Squad Eight along with Natsuko were running as fast they could.

"So we're going run all the way to Auburn?" asked Kinuko.

"Well we can always take some horses." said Kiba.

"We can't with the Raven Industries thugs all around." Said Natsuko.

"Don't worry." said Jotaro as he made a whistling sound. Suddenly a giant crab appeared out of the ground.

"Wow it's a crab!" yelled Kiba.

"It's a Crab Mover! They hide in the sands most of the time." explained Natsuko. "Jotaro, how did you…"

"I'll explain later." Jotaro smirked.

"All right! Hop on!" said Kurenai.

They all climbed onto the crab and headed off… or they should have… Natsume appeared behind Natsuko trying to grab her, but Jotaro quickly took Natsuko's place as both he and Natsume crashed towards the ground.

"Jotaro!" yelled Kinuko.

"You idiot!" yelled Kiba.

"Don't worry! Go on without me! I'll be okay!" yelled Jotaro.

"Is this okay? We're abandoning Jotaro!" yelled Natsuko.

"Don't worry he'll be fine." Said Kiba, "I know it."

"But…" said Natsuko.

"Don't worry I have faith in him, as much as I hate to admit, he's one of the strongest people I know." said Kurenai, "He's going to win."

"Listen Natsuko… The moment the rebels took off the clock started counting down Asalilla's fate. If the rebel army and the rebels face this country's finished." Said Shino, "You're the only one who can stop this… you have to live for everyone."

Natsuko nodded, and turned back to Jotaro, "I'll meet you in Auburn!"

"'Kay!" yelled Jotaro.

Meanwhile back at Sunbase, after some heartfelt speeches and some other things…

Natsume then threw a strange thing near Jotaro… it was a small minute glass. "If you want to fight, I'll give you three minutes." said Natsume, "Any complaints."

"No I'm fine with it" said Jotaro with a smirk.

Within the 3 minutes, Jotaro found that it was a one sided fight, Jotaro could not get any hits in due to Natsume's incredible speed.

"He's good, I guess I'll have to use the other thing too," Jotaro closed his eyes to concentrate.

When he opened his eyes it changed into…wait…the Sharigan?! Jotaro then took off his red jacket and got into a fighting stance. Natsume notices something on Jotaro's right arm.

"Eh kid. Are those numbers on your right arm?" He asks.

Jotaro looks at his right arm to see that he has a tattoo that says, "XJ291" Suddenly, flash backs course through Jotaro's mind hurting him. He couldn't figure out those memories since they come and go so fast.

"What was that?" Jotaro asks.

"You're just as weak as the young rebels and the old man digging in the desert." said Natsume.

"What about the old man?" asked Jotaro.

"Oh, you know him?"

"Yeah. That oasis he's living in died a long time ago, but that old man keeps digging. Hoping to one day find water.

"Now let me ask you something Shinobi, do you really think it's natural that sand storms would strike the same town over and over again?" asked Natsume.

Jotaro's eyes widened when he said that. "What do you mean?" asked Jotaro.

That's when Natsume performed a handsign and a small sand storm started.

"That was your doing!" yelled Jotaro.

"Ha-ha, indeed, since that old man is trying too hard, I'll just have to end his life quickly."

Jotaro then grabbed Natsume by the shirt, "Hey! Stop that storm right now! He never did anything to you so call that storm back now or I'll-"

Jotaro was cut off by a pain in his chest. He looks down to see that he was hit by Natsume's Chidori attack.

"You dropped your guard Shinobi. Therefore; I win."

Jotaro's body went limp. Natsume had buried Jotaro's battled and bloody body in the sand thinking he was a dead man.

"Now it's on towards Auburn and the destruction of Asalilla." Natsume said as he disappeared.

A few minutes later, a black robed figure stood before Jotaro's body. His face was shown to reveal that he was a black-haired man who had a forehead protector covering his eyes. The man shook his head in disappointment, "Jotaro Ozowa, A.K.A. Experiment XJ291, you've disappointed us. By now you should have awaken your true power. Don't worry; you're not dead. We've made it impossible for you to die." the man then disappeared.

**Meanwhile…**

The Crab mover headed as fast as it could go. However there was a bit of a problem.

"What do you mean he can't go any further?" asked Kinuko.

"It's too tired to go on, it used up all of its stamina." said Natsuko.

"Then how are we going to get to Auburn in time?" asked Kurenai.

That's when there was a large dust cloud.

"What is it?" asked Kiba.

That's when there were a ton of giant panthers appeared.

"It's the Super Black Panther Squad." said Natsuko happily.

"The what?" asks Kiba.

"They're the fastest animals alive in Asalilla. They'll be able to take us to Auburn in time."

Kinuko was counting house many panthers there were…

"There's 6 of them." Said Kinuko.

"That's perfect for my plan!" Natsuko shouted.

They all got one of the panthers and of course and headed to the capital… but before they start on the way, there was a rumbling sound.

**Meanwhile…**

At the west gate of the City of Auburn, the Officer Agents were wafting for Squad Eight.

"What's the plan for taking them out?" asked Mr. 4.

"We're going to set up an ambush." said Ms. 2. "After all the most important thing is to kill Princess Natsuko."

They waited for a while… when Mr. 3 brought up something. "Are they even going to show up?" he asked.

"I don't know, they were held up at Sunbase." said Mr. 4, "They probably won't get here until after the fight."

"They're coming this way." said Ms. 5

"What!" yelled Mr. 3. He looked through binoculars.

"I was so hoping to kill the Princess after she sees her precious kingdom fall, but a girls got to do what a girls got to do." said Ms. 2.

That's when Mr. 4 saw something in the distance.

"Look there's the rebel forces!" yelled Mr. 4, "There millions of them and the Princess thinks she can convince them to stop."

""Ms. 2… you said all we need to do is get Natsuko!" said Mr. 3, "Which one is she?"

He pointed the group of panthers, all of them were wearing identical cloaks that hid their identities.

"They're wearing identical capes!" yelled Ms. 5.

"And they're riding Spot Panthers, the fastest animal in all of Asalilla." Said Mr. 4.

"Well we're screwed." Said Mr. 3.

The Ninja were all in the same white cloak, it was impossible to tell which one was Natsuko. That's when one of them broke off to the South.

Their heading for the South Gate." Said Mr. 3, "That's where the rebels are heading, I'll follow him!" Mr. 3 followed him.

That's when another headed north.

"It looks like it's some distraction ploy. One of them could be the Princess." sighed Ms 5 as she followed another one.

That's when the remaining group split up; one of them headed directly south, two headed towards the west gate. Ms. 2 followed the first one; Mr. 4 followed the second one. Unknown to them, another one appeared right after all of them disappeared.

**In the capital city…**

The Ms. 2 and Mr. 4 independently cornered in the ones they followed.

North of the west gate, Ms. 5 cornered the three she was following.

In front of the southeast Gate, Mr. 3 cornered the one he followed.

However what Raven Industries didn't know was that Natsuko was not with any of the groups… but was hiding with her panther.

_"Please, be careful everyone."_ thought Natsuko.

That's when everyone revealed who they were.

**With Mr. 4, who was with Kiba and Akamaru (currently disguised as Kiba)…**

"I should have known you weren't the Princess…" sighed Mr. 4, "But I get to fight a Clone User."

"So I guess you're a Clone User too." said Kiba.

"Sort of." said Mr. 4 with a smirk.

**With Ms. 5 who was with Kinuko…**

"You're not the Princess! Just another Leaf Genin brat!" shouted Ms. 5

"That's right! We fooled you!" yelled Kinuko.

**With Mr. 3 who was with Shino…**

"I'm thinking that the Princess wasn't with any one of your groups, am I right?" asked Mr. 3 with a smirk.

"You guessed right." confirmed Shino.

**With Ms. 2 who was with Kurenai…**

"You wouldn't happen to be Kurenai Yuuhi would you?"

"That's me." confirmed Kurenai. "This rebellion is going to fail."

**With Natsuko…**

Natsuko stood strong as the Rebels approached. A large mess of them on horses and camels… everyone thing began to shake as they got closer.

"Rebels! Please stop!" cried Natsuko, "This battle is a set up!" That's when someone in the royal army shot right in front of Natsuko… created a large cloud of dust. _"How could they."_ Thought Natsuko looking at the canon who shot it, unaware the person who did so was a member of Raven Industries.

Natsuko tried to tell though the dust, but the combination of dust and the sound of steeds, no one heard her. Natsuko was about to be run over by the Rebels when her panther shielded her… protecting her. When it was all done for she looked at her panther's prone form.

"You shielded me."

She looked at the poor animal and on the verge of crying. "Forgive me everyone... the battle had already began, but I'm going to stop them. No matter how many times I get knocked down. I learned something from the Leaf Shinobi… to never give up!"

The battle between Squad Eight and Raven Industries begins…

**Kinuko vs. Ms. 5**

"So I guess you must be a Leaf Village Genin?" Ms. 5 asks.

Ms. 5 laughed and shook her head, "If what I heard about the Leaf Village is true then there should be two of the most powerful people living there, am I right?"

That question confused Kinuko, "What do you mean?" she asks.

"I mean that two powerful beings are living in you village, and our boss is planning something special for those two. But as for you and your team…you'll just end up dying here.

Ms. 5 performed a handsign as chakra build up in her hands. She rushed forward at incredible speed and struck Kinuko hard in the chest causing her to cough blood. Kinuko regained her composure, "What? She's using chakra to power up her attacks…if that hit me in the heart…I could have died."

"You're finished Shinobi." Ms. 5 performed a different hand sign, "Secret Art: Vibrant Strike!"

Ms. 5 once again punched Kinuko hard in the stomach and knock her into three buildings. She smirked… until she saw something that took her breath away. A fire-red chakra surrounded Kinuko's body.

_"I'm tired of being weak!"_ Kinuko thought, _"If I can't beat this woman…then why be a Leaf Shinobi in the first place!"_

**"Then use my powers…"** a voice sounded.

"Who are you?" Kinuko asks.

**"Let's just say…a friend."**

Ms. 5 could only think to herself what is going on. Fire suddenly surrounded Kinuko as her eyes changed into pure red as red dragon scales surrounded her face.

"What is this?" Ms. 5 thought to herself.

"So…this power is making me strong…" Kinuko thought. "Thank you whoever you were. You helped me out." Kinuko then turned to Ms. 5, "Both you and your boss' plan will fail! My team and I will make sure of that!" Flames engulfed her fist as she charged at Ms. 5 at incredible speed. Ms. 5 couldn't react as Kinuko punched her hard in the face knocking her into ten buildings! Kinuko has won the battle but using the mysterious power knocked her unconscious.

"Natsuko…once this is all over…you can rest easy." Kinuko said as she passes out.

**Kiba and Akamaru vs. Mr. 4**

Mr. 4 smirked, "I'll let you have the first hit."

"You sure?" asked Kiba.

"Of course." said Mr. 4 with a smirk.

"Let's go Akamaru!" said Kiba.

Both he and Akamaru went into punch Mr. 4, they did it hair, so much there was a loud crunching sound and Mr. 4 was sent to the ground.

"No way! We didn't do that hard, did we?" asked Kiba.

That's when Mr. 4 got up, he was wobbling quite a bit and there was a horrible clicking sound from the wobbling.

"Well you got me good that time." said Mr. 4.

That's when pieces of his face began to fall off… revealing underneath… something wooden.

"What's the!" yelled Kiba.

That's when the mummy on his back began to unravel revealing a second Mr. 4, he jumped away from the first Mr. 4.

"So you are a clone user." said Kiba.

"I said I was something" said the 2nd Mr. 4.

Mr. 4 moved his arm in a certain way, the first Mr. 4's face fell all the way off and all of the clothes ripped apart, revealing some sort of wooden multi-armed, three eyed marionette of sorts.

"What is that thing?" asked Kiba.

"I'm a user of the third style… puppet mastery."

"Puppet mastery?" asked Kiba.

"Puppet mastery was created by people thought that Clones were dangerous so they created puppets." said Mr. 4, "Puppet are far more dangerous than clones."

"Oh really how can that be more dangerous than a clone?" asked Kiba shaking his head.

That's when the puppet opened its mouth… and several canons came out of them. Both Kiba and Akamaru managed to dodge the canons.

"That's how; a puppet has several tricks built right inside of it. I use my chakra as strings to control it in many ways." said Mr. 4.

"I see…" said Kiba, "So what if we break it…"

"I'd like to see you try." said Mr. 4.

"All right! Let's go Akamaru!" called out Kiba. Akamaru barked in agreement. The two ran towards the puppet.

"You really think that's going to work with me?" asked Mr. 4 with a laugh. Mr. 4 moved his hands in a way that, that's when blades came out of the puppets arms. _"This is going to fun."_ thought Mr. 4. Mr. 4 looked to his back where another more slender mummy was, the whole time he was there, his puppet named Grim stood in his place while he hid controlling Grim as if it was him from inside the mummy. While hiding he had had brought along a second different mummy to surprise whatever enemy he faced.

_"If he thinks he can stop Grim by ripping off limbs he's in for a surprise."_ he thought.

"Let's go Akamaru." said Kiba. Akamaru once again barked while in Kiba's form.

The two ran towards Mr. 4, they dodged the blades from Grim's arms while trying to find ways to rip them off.

That's when Grim opened its mouth and several knives came out of it, both Kiba and Akamaru managed to dodge, only for Kiba to get in the shoulder by one of the arm blades.

"Damn it!" shouted Kiba, he looked at the wound, it wasn't too bad.

"We have to be very careful." said Kiba. Akamaru began to make gestures… "What are you saying?" asked Kiba. He looked into the dog that's disguised as himself and knew what Akamaru was trying to say. "Okay… I get it." said Kiba. The two of them again ran towards Grim.

"That's not going to work." said Mr. 4 shaking his.

The two split up… one of them head straight for Grim while the other went to hide behind a sand dune, Mr. 4 smirked. _"That's pretty good."_ he thought.

The one headed straight for Grim dodged the arms and any projectiles that came from the mouth as best he could.

"You're not going to win, just give up already." said Mr. 4.

That's when the one that hid behind the sand dune appeared then ripped off the head of Grim and tossed it aside.

"What?!" yelled Mr. 4.

Neither one said anything as a way to confuse him… he didn't know which was the real one and which one was the clone.

_"Damn it…"_ thought Mr. 4.

That's when man and dog/ clone began to rip of the arms and tossed them aside. When they were both of them were breathing heavily.

"I have to congratulate you on doing that but there's a few thing you should know." said Mr. 4.

He grabbed the mummy off his back, unwrapped and revealed it to be another puppet, this one looked a different, its hit was longer and looked demonic, it had many arms and a was form some reason barrel sharpened.

"You may have thought you have torn apart Grim, but you still have to deal with White Ant." said Mr. 4 with a smirk.

"Damn it!" yelled Kiba. He gritted his teeth and looked at White Ant which created several blades on its arms and began to slice at him.

_"This one is different than before…"_ thought Kiba.

Mr. 4 smirked… he looked at Akamaru. _"That's definitely some sort of animal clone. I'll use that to my advantage."_ he thought with an evil smirk.

Kiba continued to dodge the puppet when somehow smoke canons appeared.

_"What's his plan!"_ thought Kiba.

When the smoke cleared White Ant was gone. He looked to see it had appeared behind Akamaru.

"Akamaru! Look out!" shouted Kiba.

White Ant chest has opened up revealing it was hollow inside and strings pulled into the Dog Clone into itself hollow cavity. It then shut itself tightly with a lock. Mr. 4 was laughing.

"How dare you do that Akamaru!" yelled Kiba glaring at the Puppet Master.

"White Ant isn't built for combat, it's built to trap opponents." said Mr. 4.

"I can easily disable your puppet like I did with the last." mutter Kiba glaring at Mr. 4.

Mr. 4 continued to laugh, "You didn't do anything to Grim." said Mr. 4.

"What do you mean?" asked Kiba.

That's when all of Grim's body parts began to float.

"You were humoring me, weren't you?" asked Kiba.

"That's right." said Mr. 4, "Time to show you Iron Maiden!"

Blades emerged from Grim's many body parts. That's when Kiba noticed the many holes in White Ant.

_"No…"_ he thought, "Akamaru!"

"Too late!" said Mr. 4.

He motioned for the floating bladed body parts to fly towards White Ant. All of the parts hit White Ant… going into the slots… much like that child's game with the ninja in the barrel.

"Akamaru!" shouted Kiba.

Mr. 4 gritted his teeth, "He's still alive?" he muttered, "The animal transformed back into its true form inside of White Ant."

Inside of the puppet, Akamaru was crying in thanks, while it had a few cuts, nothing serious, he was in an awkward angle.

All of the blades were removed and White Ant opened up, Mr. 4 pulled out Akamaru using chakra strings and tossed it to Kiba.

"Here's your dog back…I thought it was the Dog Clone." said Mr. 4.

"Man beast clone." said Kiba.

"Whatever." said Mr. 4.

"Why did you give Akamaru back and not kill him?" asked Kiba.

"Hey I'm only working with Baroque Works, not for them. I could care less what happens with happens here." said Mr. 4.

Mr. 4 made it so that both Grim and White Ant were in front of him.

_"Great taking down the puppets didn't work. Akamaru's too scared and too injured to take my Chakra. So how am I going to beat him?" _thought Kiba.

He looked at Mr. 4 and realized his weakness… _"That's it… with those puppets… I should have known that was his weakness all along."_

_"Could he have figure out my weakness."_ thought Mr. 4.

_"Okay… I need a distraction I think Akamaru is well enough to use that."_ thought Kiba.

Kiba took a breath, and looked down at the dog in his arms. "Okay, Akamaru do you think you're well enough to use that?" asked Kiba. Akamaru gave a small nod. "All right Akamaru!" yelled Kiba, "Use Dynamic Marking!"

Akamaru ran towards Mr. 4 and then spun into the air… that's when a yellow liquid came out of the dog.

"Oh crap!" said Mr. 4.

Akamaru used dynamic marking…

Dynamic Marking hit… Mr. 4's accuracy fell.

"Did he just pee on me?!" asked Mr. 4.

Mr. 4 looked to see both Akamaru and Kiba were gone… in other words: Trainer Kiba fled from battle.

"So he ran off…" said Mr. 4 gritting his teeth.

Kiba hid behind a sand dune.

_"I have to get my bearings… I can never let Kinuko know I did this."_ thought Kiba.

Akamaru nodded in agreement.

Kiba stared at Mr. 4 from behind the sand dune.

"All I have to do is break his defense." said Kiba. "What am I going to do." sighed Kiba, "Will normal clones be able to do the trick?" He looked at Akamaru, he was still too shaken from earlier to transform into his clone. Kiba peeked over the sand dune to where Mr. 4 was still looking for him. _"All I have to do is hit him from behind."_ Thought Kiba.

Mr. 4 on the other hand was beginning to get worried. "He's either ran away or found my weakness." He muttered. He began to sweat drop… "He really better have ran away." He muttered.

That's when he saw something in the corner of his eye. It was Kiba and he had just socked him in the face, sending him into the sand dune.

"So you did figure out my weakness." Said Mr. 4.

Kiba nodded, "You're weak." Said Kiba.

"No I'm not… I'm just not good at hand to hand combat." explained Mr. 4.

"So is there a difference?" asked Kiba.

The two stood in silence...

"Yeah, I'm good with using puppets." Said Mr. 4.

"That doesn't count!" yelled Kiba.

Mr. 4 smirked, "However, you still have to deal with Grim and White Ant." Said Mr. 4 with a smirk.

The two puppet stood right next to him.

_"Damn it… how am I supposed to get passed them again since he knows I'm on to him."_ thought Kiba.

That's when Akamaru jumped though the air, he latched onto the Chakra Strings, connecting Grim and ripped them apart, causing Mr. 4 to gape. "That's impossible!" yelled Mr. 4, "They're made up of pure Chakra! They're impossible to break!"

"Well yeah, Akamaru just broke them." said Kiba with a shrug.

"How long have has your dog been able to do that?" asked Mr. 4.

"Well we've been together for years." said Kiba.

_"So that's it… he's been infused with Chakra so many times he's able to break my own."_ Thought Mr. 4.

"Looks like this fight is going to be over." said Kiba.

"Oh crap…" said Mr. 4.

Akamaru then tore appeared the strings connecting White Ant. And so Kiba proceeded to beat him up, until Mr. 4 surrendered, quite quickly… but not after Mr. 4 was a bloody mess.

"All right! We won Akamaru!" cheered Kiba.

**Shino vs. Mr. 3**

Shino walks away after his bugs annihilated Mr. 3. "You shouldn't underestimate any of us."

**(A/N: Wow! That battle must have been pretty short.)**

**Kurenai vs. Ms. 2**

"So your Natsume's right hand man." said Kurenai.

There was a silence…it wasn't exactly an awkward silence… but yet it was… a tiny bit… after all Ms. 2 seemed so weak.

"You expected someone little a different, didn't you?" asked Ms. 2.

"I'm just surprised that you're able to stand up to that crazy man." said Kurenai.

Ms. 2 laughed, "You'd be surprised at what I could live through." He said.

Kurenai drew her kunai knives and ran towards Ms. 2 who dodged, when Kurenai tried to slash her.

"You think that would work?" asked Ms. 2.

That's when Kurenai ran towards her and slashed her in her stomach.

"It looks like it did." said Kurenai.

However Ms. 2 was still able to move, she tried to punch Kurenai but Kurenai dodged it. Ms. 2 then tried to kick her but Kurenai blocked with her kunai.

"This is going to be easier than I thought." said Kurenai with a smirk.

Kurenai withdrew her kunai and ran towards Ms. 2 delivering a harsh kick and then punched her in the face. Ms. 2 tried to counter but Kurenai kept dodging.

"Your pretty weak aren't you?" asked Kurenai.

"Well it takes a while for me to warm up." said Ms. 2 with a smirk.

"If you say so." said Kurenai with a shrug.

Kurenai ran towards Ms. 2 and punched her once again, this time Ms. 2 managed to block. Ms. 2 tired to kick but Kurenai dodged then swept Ms. 2 from under her legs. Ms. 2 fell on her back, however she managed to jump back up.

"Wow. I bet those were one of those things that looked worse than it really was." Said Ms. 2 making light of the situation.

"Are we going to fight or what?" asked Kurenai.

Kurenai kicked her in the gut and then punched her.

"Are you even able to fight?" asked Kurenai.

"I use a variation of the Gentle Fist, have you heard of it?" asked Ms. 2.

"Another Genin I know can use it." said Kurenai.

"Oh really? I'm surprised." said Ms. 2 raising an eyebrow, "Now normal gentle fist uses some force to injure the person while mine is different."

"How is different?" asked Kurenai.

That's when Ms. 2 hands began to glow a little and began to move his hands towards Kurenai who managed to dodge each time. She managed to kick Ms. 2 in the face.

"No offence but Kinuko's faster than you." said Kurenai.

"I take it this Kinuko is your crewmate." Said Ms. 2 getting back up.

Kurenai nodded, she ran towards Ms. 2 and delivered another punch to the gut, which caused Ms. 2 to fall foreword… however she managed to get back up and almost delver a harsh blow to Kurenai's arm… the key word was almost… Kurenai managed to dodge. Kurenai got a strange chill as she dodged.

_"She's getting better."_ She thought.

"What wrong? Kurenai?" asked Ms. 2.

"I was just wondering, how's is your Gentle Fist style different than Hinata's?" asked Kurenai.

"I'd rather have you find out on your own." said Ms. 2.

He began to quickly try to strike Kurenai… fortunately Kurenai dodged every time.

_"She's getting faster."_ Thought Kurenai who looked at the look on Ms. 2's face, "IS she toying with me… no she can't be… She's seems too weak to be toying with me."

That's when Kurenai managed to get another good hit in. "It's time to finish this!" said Kurenai.

She took out her matches, she lit one and threw into the air. She then quickly drew her kunai and crated an air bubble with special Jutsu, which hit the match and began a large fireball, which engulfed Ms. 2.

Kurenai smirked at she withdrew her kunai.

"Looks like I win." Said Kurenai smirking.

"You'd think that would you?" asked Ms. 2.

Kurenai looked at Ms. 2 and gasped at what she saw.

"What… the…" muttered Kurenai.

Every single one of Ms. 2's wounds was healing. She couldn't help but to stare at them. "What… what happened…" said Kurenai.

"I have the special ability to heal very quickly, there is a limit… but as you can see I was just toying with you." said Ms. 2.

"Why you…" growled Kurenai.

"It's a shame this is all you have. considering your Genin named Jotaro." Said Ms. 2.

"You know Jotaro?" asked Kurenai.

Ms. 2 merely smirked evilly… and it was then, that Kurenai knew that Ms. 2 knows something about Jotaro that she doesn't! Kurenai stared in shock.

"How do you know Jotaro?" asked Kurenai once again.

"I know him though Ichiyo, a close friend of his. I have to say he's had a rough life." Said Ms. 2, "I honestly never thought he would be with Leaf Shinobi."

That's when Ms. 2 hit Kurenai in the arm, she screamed when it hit. "What did you do?" asked Kurenai.

"I simply used my version of the Gentle Fist." said Ms. 2, "As I said before the normal Gentle Fist uses the energy to hit spots to cripple the body. Sometime even canceling Chakra channels. I thought to myself, what if you used a different way that's when it came to me. What if you used the Gentle Fist to cut internally?"

"What?" asked Kurenai.

"I use my Gentle Fist to cut inside, each blow I give off a precise cut, and I cut muscles and tendons or even shred organs… Isn't that interesting?" asked Ms. 2.

"So that's why your Natsume's right hand man." Said Kurenai.

"That's right; I'm both his right hand woman and his doctor." Said Ms. 2 with an evil smile, "However, about a little deal, if you're able to defeat me, I'll give you all the information you want about Jotaro."

Kurenai's eyes winded. "Are… are you serious?" asked Kurenai.

"Of course! But that's only if you're able to beat me." Said Ms. 2.

Kurenai gritted his teeth. _"If I defeat him! I'll finally be able to find out more about Jotaro."_ thought Kurenai. _"All right! I have to beat him!"_

"But that's only if you're able to defeat me." said Ms. 2 adjusting his glasses, "Especially since I made your arm useless."

"What?" asked Ms. 2.

That's when Kurenai's hand began to crackle with electricity. She ran towards Ms. 2 very quickly.

"Damn it. If that thing hits…" thought Ms. 2 sweating, "I might not be able to recover. I'll have to do it!"

"Lion's Strike!" shouted Kurenai.

"Atomic Dicer!" shouted Ms. 2.

And that winner was Kurenai, as Ms. 2 fell to a crumple heap nearby.

**With Natsuko…**

Natsuko ran to an area of the capital that was being protected by royal guards.

"What are you doing here don't you know that now one's allowed?" asked one of the Guards.

"Leave now woman! This isn't a playground." Said another.

"I know that." Said Natsuko with her head down, taking a breath, she looked up.

"Princess Natsuko." Said the Guards.

"I want to see Tetchu."

"Let's go see him." said the guard leading Natsuko to Tetchu.

Natsuko nodded following the guards. A few minutes later Natsuko had just met up with Tetchu who was put in charge of everything since well… everything went to hell. And why this didn't happen earlier… It's because it was easier to focus on the fights rather than a plight of a nation.

"What you can't be serous!" yelled Tetchu, "If we do that!

"If we do this then what? Will this kingdom end? This is not Asalilla!" said Natsuko, "All those people hurting each other outside are Asalilla! As long as they live on the kingdom will! If we can get everyone's attention for only for a few seconds then leave everything to me! We have to destroy this palace."

"Destroy the Palace?" asked one Guard.

"She must be crazy." Said another.

"Lord Tetchu Don't listen to her!" yelled yet another.

"The king would never consent with it!" yelled still yet another guard.

"As you wish Princess." sighed Tetchu.

And so, the Palace Guards began their plan of destroying the palace in order to stop the fighting. But will it work?

Tetchu and Natsuko watched the kingdom below…

"I'm sorry I had to leave like that." Said Natsuko, "But it isn't over. Even if we succeed, as long as he's still alive this Kingdom will not be at peace."

She looked down, "I'm also worried about them." She said as she remembered Shino's words to her.

"Princess." Said Tetchu, "In the two years you were gone you have grown wise and beautiful. Once this is over we must throw a grand celebration for the ninjas who helped you."

"Yes…" said Natsuko.

"Lord Tetchu." Came voice.

They turned to see a bloodied palace guard.

"What is it?" asked Tetchu.

"Here in the Palace!" said the Guard before he collapsed.

"You're playing a dangerous game Your Highness. This is my new home you're trying to demolish." Said Natsume gaining everyone's attention, "I've always like palaces. It's the perfect palace to watch all of the vermin."

"Natsume!" cried Natsuko n shock.

Tetchu glared on him on the other hand. Kakusena, the king and Natsuko's father, was there, pinned to the wall. Don't ask why he's pinned to the wall or how he got there, but this writer is confused about that himself.

"Natsuko, forgive me, you worked so hard to save this kingdom but I ruined it." Said Kakusena.

"Father…" whispered Natsuko.

"Free the king now Natsume!" yelled Tetchu.

"The King is correct however, you were only able to come here Your Highness because of those ninjas helped." Said Natsume.

"Where's Jotaro!" shouted Natsuko.

"He's dead." Said Natsume.

"That's a lie! There's no way Jotaro could lose to you!" yelled Natsuko.

"He was a fool." Natsume said, "I have no intention of sparing you or your father. When a kingdom dies, the royal family should fall along with it." Natsume walked over to Kakusena. "However there is one thing I would like to know. Since what I was after all along." said Natsume, "Where is the data on the Elemental Dragons?"

"Where did you hear about that?" asked Kakusena in shock.

"The Elemental Dragons, creatures of pure power that can destroy this world." Said Natsume, "Named for the gad of death they were the most terrible of all ancient beings. Perhaps more powerful than the Tailed Beasts and their data is within this kingdom!"

Kakusena glared harshly at the Rogue Ninja. "That has been my goal from the start, in order forge the most powerful nation in the world." explained Natsume.

"Data on the Elemental Dragons are in this kingdom?" asked Natsuko not believing a word of it.

"A secret passed down with the crown." Said Tetchu glaring at Natsume as well.

"When I become king it will become simple to recruit ninjas to serve under me. Surpassing even the all the Five Kages combined in military power." Said Natsume.

"The Five Kages will not allow it!" said Kakusena.

"And that's why I need the key to gaining the power of the Elemental Dragons." Said Natsume with an evil smirk. And so Natsume's goals were revealed, but who knew what would come from them.

The King stared at Natsume in shock, after hearing his plans he couldn't believe it.

"I don't know where you heard of this, but I don't know it whereabouts or if the data is even in this Kingdom." Said Kakusena.

"I feared at much." Said Natsume, "I realize that it's questionable if it's here or not. By the way, you know that the Royal Army is the in the town square. In 30 minutes a canon will shoot a projectile there in 30 minutes."

"What? Are you mad!" yelled Kakusena.

"It is a special cannonball that will blow a crater three miles in diameter." Said Natsume, "It will instantly alter the view of this palace."

"30 minutes from now! But if you do that" yelled Natsuko.

"Aren't you pleased?" asked Natsume with an evil smile, "By my calculation the rebels will be here in 20 minutes. Destroying the palace was such an indirect way, it's so much easier to blow the rebels away."

"How could you even plan such a thing!" cried Natsuko, "What did they ever do you!"

"They're meaningless." Said Natsume as he turns to the king, "Now then King Kakusena. I have another question for you."

Everyone looked at Natsume, waiting for the next question.

"Where is the data on the Five Kages' scientific experiment?" asked Natsume with an evil smile.

"The Kage's scientific experiment?" asked Natsuko in shock, "Why do you want to know about it?"

"If I tell you where it is…" said Kakusena who then realized something, "No… I will show you where it is."

Natsuko watched this, unsure sure what to do.

"Princess Natsuko." Said Tetchu, "I will not stand by this anymore."

Tetchu grabbed his sword; he rushed forward to fight Natsume, for the sake of the kingdom. The battle went by in a flash. Natsume had finished Tetchu off… yes he was alive, but he was defeated.

"Weakness is an unforgivable sin." Mocked Natsume.

Natsuko was crying… she couldn't believe it.

"Natsuko!" yelled a voice.

Natsuko turned around and couldn't believe her eyes at who was there. Hopefully his appearance would things around. Micheil, the leader of the rebel army was there. He stood in shock, with the king held captive and Tetchu gravely injured. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"Micheil!" yelled Natsuko.

"You took the secret passage, didn't you?" asked Kakusena.

"I came to reason with the royal army." Said Micheil who then gritted his teeth, "But I find the king being held hostage by the national hero. This can't be happening!"

Natsume merely laughed, "What an interesting development! The two leaders already meet in the middle of the war!"

Micheil stood there… he didn't know what was happening.

"Confused. Imagine the worst case scenario." Said Natsume with a smirk.

Micheil began to shake as he realized what was going on.

"Natsuko!" yelled Micheil, "If your father isn't behind all of this, then who is!"

"It was…" whispered Natsuko.

"My doing Micheil! The crimes you rebels blamed on the king, were a trap set by my organization. For the last two years you danced for us while the royal family and army tried to stop us." Explained Natsume, "You would have died a happier man if you hadn't discovered the truth."

Micheil started up at Natsume not sure what was going on.

"Micheil! Don't listen to any of this!" yelled Kakusena.

"Your majesty." Said Micheil.

"Right now you have to focus on saving as many people as possible!" yelled Kakusena.

Micheil was confused… until Tetchu explained it to him.

"There's a canon in the town square. I will go off in less than a half hour!" yelled Tetchu as he laid there bleeding.

"What!" yelled Micheil in shock.

"You're still alive?" asked Natsume.

"Hurry!" yelled Tetchu.

Micheil started to run to warn everyone about the canon. However Natsuko tackled him.

"Natsuko what are you doing?" asked Micheil, "That square is going to become a battle field. If it gets blown up…"

"It won't become a battle field!" yelled Natsuko, "You're still too rattled to think strait! If we tell the royal army the square is going to be blown up then chaos will reign! We won't be able to stop the war and the bloodshed will continue!" Natsuko calmed down… she took a breath. "Is that right?" asked Natsuko.

Natsume couldn't help to smirk, "Admirable reasoning." He said.

"The rebellion needs to be stopped." Said Natsuko, "And you're the only who can do it."

That was when Natsume appeared behind Natsuko.

"You really think I'd let you do that?" he asked.

He was about to attack her with his hood when Tetchu jumped in a blocked it with his sword.

"The Guardian Deity of Asalilla. All enemies of the royal family must be destroyed." Said Tetchu, "As long as there is a spark of life left in me! I will fight!"

"You're a magnificent fool!" said Natsume.

"Natsuko! Micheil! Go do what you must do! I can hold him for a few minutes." Said Tetchu.

Micheil knew what to do, he had a plan that would hopefully end the rebellion.

With Micheil he had managed to convince the royal army to raise the white flag. With Micheil leading them.

"The Battle is Over! The royal army just wants peace!" yelled Micheil.

That was when two guns were shot… the blood flowed from the person shot.

Micheil turned and saw who had taken the bullet for him… a royal army officer.

"You took the bullet for me?" asked Micheil in shock, wondering where the high ranking guard had come from.

"Yeah…" said royal army officer with a pained smiled.

Everyone dropped their weapons seeing this. That was when Natsume unleashed a very powerful sandstorm! It was so powerful it could be described a sand tornado! Very large Sand Tornado.

"Very few will escape… I'm sure of it." Said Natsume with an evil smile.

He then grabbed Natsuko.

"What are you doing?" asked Natsuko.

"I won't let you put any more wrenches in my plan. I'll be taking your father now. We've got some research to do." Said Natsume.

He dangled the princess over the ledge. He arm turned to sand letting her fall. She fell to the ground crying.

"No… Natsume." Thought Natsuko.

She had managed to stop the fighting… but Jotaro was right. That wasn't enough… as long as Natsume was alive there would just be more pain.

"Natsuko!" yelled a voice.

Natsuko looked to see it was Kurenai… who was running on the walls of the castle.

"Kurenai!" Natsuko cried happily, The Jonin caught the princess who began to cry, "I stopped the fighting… but Natsume… he created that huge sand storm. There's a huge canon! It's going to blow up the Palace! I don't know what to do!"

The two of them touched down in front of the Palace, far enough away from the sand storm to not get caught up in it. That was when everyone else arrived. Natsuko took a breath and decided to explain what was going on. After the explanation…

"So you managed to get everyone to stop fighting?" asked Kinuko. "That's great!"

"But there's an even bigger problem, in 30 minutes, a cannon will shoot a canon into the town square!"

That statement struck fear in everyone's but Shino's heart.

"A c-canon with a b-canon?" Kinuko stuttered.

"We'll have to find it." Kurenai said.

Everyone nodded and began searching for the canon.

**Meanwhile…**

Natsume took Kakusena into the data room of the palace. He then took out a data file that was in a certain language, but he knew what this file was.

"Now then Kakusena, I want you to read this data file. I know that only you can read this language and translate it so don't miss a single detail." he said.

Kakusena began to read the data file, "The Elemental Dragons are deities of time and space that have existed longer than the Tailed Beasts. There are five Elemental Dragons in total four containing their own unique element. The Fire Dragon, The Ice Dragon, The Thunder Dragon, and The Earth Dragon. The final one is a dragon that can use all four of these elements called the Purple Dragon of Darkness."

"Good, now read this file." Natsume handed Kakusena another file.

"Information on the experiment conducted by the Five Kages is classified but one detail. The experiment was conducted on a subject being classified, XJ291."

That statement shook Natsume in fear as he remembers Jotaro having a tattoo that has those numbers. That was when an explosion was heard. Natsume was suddenly knocked to the ground by a figure. He turns to see that it was none other than Jotaro.

"It's you! But how did you survive! My Chidori went straight through your chest!"

Jotaro's eyes are different; the left side of each of his eyes is white while the right side of each of his eyes was black. These eyes gave Natsume a chilling fear. "Wh-What is this! I feel like I'm staring at the Devil!"

Jotaro only widened his eyes and that alone was enough to knock out Natsume. How that happened will be explained.

**Meanwhile…**

Natsuko, Micheil and Kurenai were at the base of a Clock Tower. They looked up at it. There was much time left… just a few more minutes.

"The canon must be in there. This tower lies at the center of the town square." Natsuko said.

"So what are we going to do?" asked Kurenai.

"Natsuko! Kurenai-Sensai!" shouted Kinuko.

They turned to see everyone but Shino and Kiba.

"What's going on?" asked Kinuko.

"So it's in the clock tower…" said Kurenai.

"There's enough room for it inside. And it's high up! It has to be in there!" said Natsuko.

"How are we going to get up there?" asked Kinuko.

"Kinuko!" yelled a voice.

They looked up to see Kiba about a third of the way there.

"Kiba what are you doing up there!" yelled Natsuko.

"I found the message from Shino and I remember about the clock tower. How big it was in there!" said Kiba, "I don't think we'll be able to make it up there in time…"

"What's going on!" yelled Shino sticking his head out of the window, who much higher than Kiba.

"What are you doing up there!" yelled Kurenai knowing.

"Someone told me I had to go north! So I climbed!" yelled Shino.

There was an awkward silence as everyone who heard this sweat dropped.

"This isn't good." said Natsuko, "The access to the tower is in a far corner in the third floor." Said Natsuko. "We have to go up! There's no other way!"

"Wait I have an idea!" said Kurenai.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about that?" Said Kinuko.

"I have a bad feeling too." said Kiba with a sweat drop.

That was when the clock tower opened revealing two Raven Industries thugs There was a giant canon in there.

"What are we going to do!" yelled Micheil as they lit the cannon.

"Okay! Time for my idea!" yelled Kurenai.

That's when Natsuko stood on Kinuko's shoulders, who sat on Kurenai's.

"Okay… how is a totem pole supposed to stop the canon!" said Kinuko.

"Don't worry… Kiba and Shino have their part." Said Kurenai.

"So it's a totem pole with Kiba and Shino involved." Said Kinuko.

Kurenai hit her on the head. "All right! Here goes!"

Kurenai signaled Kinuko to jump up high. "All right Kiba! Akamaru! Push Natsuko up upwards!" shouted Kurenai.

The two pushed the group on top of them up wards towards Shino.

"Now use your bugs to send her high Shino!" shouted Kurenai.

Kurenai threw Natsuko straight at Shino… this caused Kurenai and Kinuko to fall.

"I see her idea." Said Shino.

That was when Shino jumped out of the window with his bugs extended.

"Your bugs?" asked Natsuko.

"It's okay, there harmless bugs." said Shino.

He launched the Natsuko in the air. As he too much like the ones before him, fell to the ground.

They looked up and waited for Natsuko to say it was all right they could clearly hear that she beat up the two thugs… but after that there was a silence before she appeared with a fearful face.

"What's wrong?" shouted Micheil.

"I deactivated the canon, but the canon is on a timer!" cried Natsuko.

Everyone was shocked.

"What!" yelled everyone but Shino. Kinuko fell on her butt.

Natsuko was at the top of the clock tower, she began to cry, "Even if I could stop the fighting… and I did… I couldn't stop Natsume in the end."

That was when Tetchu approached her. Don't ask how he got there; it's a mystery. They watched as Tetchu took the canon, said his last goodbye to Natsuko, and used the last chakra in his body to jump amazingly into the air away from Auburn. They watched horribly at the canon detonated in the sky, causing a big explosion.

"Tetchu!" shouted Natsuko.

"I can't believe it." said Micheil, he fell to his knees, "Too many people sacrificed themselves today."

Natsuko was on top of the clock tower crying for Tetchu.

"Now all that's left is to take care of Natsume." Kurenai said.

They all arrive at the palace only to see that Jotaro was with the palace guards tying up the rogue ninja Natsume.

"Jotaro?" Kinuko said surprised at Jotaro's sudden appearance.

"Well…it's about time you guys showed up. I needed a little help tying this guy up." Jotaro said.

"Speak for yourself!" Kiba shouted, "We all had to fight strong ninjas waiting for you!"

"J-Jotaro…" Natsuko said.

Jotaro smirked and said, "As I promised, I kicked Natsume's ass for you."

"Thank you! Thank you all so much!" Natsuko shouted.

Jotaro however, passed out for an unknown reason.

"Jotaro!" Natsuko shouted rushing to Jotaro's side, "Is he okay?"

"He'll be fine…" Kurenai said, "His fight with Natsume must have worn him out." "Is it true that he has that kind of power?" She thought looking at Jotaro's tattoo and remembering what Ms. 2 told her.

**(Flashback)**

"Alright," Kurenai said grabbing Ms. 2's shirt, "What do you know about Jotaro?"

Ms. 2 struggled to talk though her wounds but she managed, "Y-Your Genin student is more than j-just an ordinary boy…He has a marvelous gift that's more powerful than the Sh-Sharigan…"

"What is this power?" Kurenai asks.

"It's unknown…The Five Kages have been running experiments ever since the Nine-Tailed Fox attack 13 years ago…I believe that Jotaro was part of that experiment though his side effects are that his attitude would change randomly…If you want proof, look on his arm and you'll see his number: XJ291!" That was when Ms. 2 passed out.

**(End Flashback)**

In the guest room, Jotaro began to wake up.

"I slept great!" yelled Jotaro.

That's when the rest of the squad and Natsuko entered the room.

"Jotaro! You're awake!" said Kiba confusing Jotaro.

"You're acting like I was asleep for the last three days." Said Jotaro.

"You were asleep for the last three days." Said Kinuko.

"What really! I missed like 15 meals." Said Jotaro.

"Jotaro… that's 5 meals a day." Said Kurenai.

"That sounds about right." Said Kiba.

"Both of you suck at math," said Shino.

The food cart was carted next to Jotaro. But by the time it was next to him all of the food was gone.

"That was good." Said Jotaro.

"WAS THAT SOME KIND OF TRICK?!" Kinuko and Kiba shouted.

Kurenai was confused however as she thought, _"What's with Jotaro? He's acting like a goofball though he was a prick before…"_

Sometime later it was a grand dinner! Squad Eight, the highest-ranking guards all had dinner together; it was a lively event. Jotaro ate as much as he could, as did Kiba. Everyone was laughing at the table.

"Jotaro that's my food!" yelled Kiba.

"Jotaro! You can't eat all of that in one bite!" yelled Kinuko.

"Are you going to eat that Natsuko?" asked Jotaro.

"Yes, I am…I'm sure there's more food coming." Said Natsuko.

That was when Jotaro ate all of the food in one gulp… and also sucked in Akamaru's head.

Natsuko couldn't help but laugh at all this. The guards watching this on the other hand was very confused later they were laughing extremely hard.

Sometime after dinner, Squad Eight, the king, and Natsuko went for a nice bath.

"I'm going to get there first!" said Jotaro.

"No I am!" said Kiba.

That was when both of them slipped, fell and landed on their heads.

"I can see you're having fun." said Shino with a sweat drop.

The boys were just having fun. Splashing, playing or just relaxing.

However Jotaro had another idea of fun…

"So where's the women's bath?" Jotaro asked the king.

"Why would he tell you that?" asked Shino.

"It's over that wall." Said Kakusena pointing to one of the walls.

"Wow, you're a cool old man!" Said Kiba.

On the other side of the wall, the girl's were enjoying their bath.

"I could get used to this." Said Kurenai.

"So, Natsuko, what are you going to now?" asked Kinuko.

"Probably relax for a while. I've been worrying about my country all the time." Said Natsuko.

They noticed Jotaro, Kiba, Akamaru, and Kakusena all watching them.

"Why those!" muttered Kinuko as she was about to punish them.

"Wait! Let me do it." Said Kurenai.

The two relented, but couldn't help but to sweat drop when she did her punishment. She flashed the boys, which caused them all to faint and have blood come out of their noses.

"Happiness punch!" said Kurenai flashing them, "That will cost you about 100 laps around the village."

"Kurenai!" yelled Natsuko.

Kinuko just shook her head.

"We're thinking about leaving tomorrow." said Kinuko changing the subject.

"What?" asked Natsuko.

"Jotaro's awake. It only makes sense and besides, we got a Chūnin exam coming up back at the village so we've got to prepare." Said Kinuko.

"I see." Said Natsuko.

On the other side of the wall, Kakusena woke up.

"Thank you." Said Kakusena.

"Pervert!" shouted everyone but Shino.

"Not about that!" shouted Kakusena, "For my country."

Kakusena then bowed to the Squad Eight boys.

"Should a king be bowing like that?" asked Shino.

"A king is not a king when he is disrobed. I would like to say this not as a king but as a father and as citizen of this land. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you."

Jotaro could only smile when he said that.

After the bath Squad Eight gathered in the bedroom with Natsuko.

"Since Jotaro's awake we should leave tomorrow." Said Kinuko.

"So… Jotaro… what do you plan on doing once we get back?" asked Kiba.

"I think I'm going to have one more piece of meat first." Said Jotaro.

"Don't think with your stomach!" yelled everyone but Shino.

Natsuko laughed at this.

**The Next Day…**

Squad Eight was saying goodbye to Natsuko, "Words cannot express how grateful I am to you. I want to give you something." Natsuko said.

"What is it." Jotaro ask.

Natsuko gave a white star necklace to him, "Whenever you feel alone remember your friends and remember me."

Jotaro nodded and put the necklace in his pocket, "Thanks."

"Goodbye!" Everyone shouted as they left.

After a few minutes of traveling…

"You know guys..." Jotaro said getting everyone's attention, "At first…I thought I could do everything by myself. But I was dead wrong; if it wasn't for your help…we would have failed the mission."

This statement confused everyone as Kurenai remembered Ms. 2's words, "I knew it! Jotaro's attitude randomly changes due to the side effects of his experiment. That's what Ms. 2 told me. Does this mean that him being mean to Naruto was random as well?" She shook off that and smiled as Squad Eight head back to the Leaf Village.

**Author's Note: Oh my God! 12,338 words?! This was the longest chapter I've ever made! Anyways, guys again, I'm terribly sorry that I held over! From now on when I do original stories like this, I'll put it all in one chapter though they will be long. See! I told you that Jotaro isn't going to be a one-dimensional bully, or maybe…he isn't like that at all…I don't know. If you're wondering how he knows Sharigan and Byakugan, a chapter will explain that. Next time will be the start of the Chūnin arc.**


	24. Everyone is Recommended

**_Author's Note: I'd like to say congratulations to the following users: Crookedstar9 our 100_****_th_****_ reader who put this story on his/her favorites list and LesMislover2013 is out 100_****_th_****_ reader to review this story. Okay, I'm going to make this clear: the main characters of this story are members of Squad Seven and Squad Eight! There's your answer to the why have a story on Squad Eight question. As a plus, at first I was just going to have Hinata and Naruto as the characters, but one by one a new ideas came to my head and I couldn't contain it in a summary and title. Enjoy!_**

* * *

**Everyone is Recommended**

In a dark ocean, a dark man who had a headband covering his eyes looks towards the roaring sea, a dark figured appeared.

"You have arrived; I've been to see him. He looks a lot like you." the man said.

"Who is he?" the dark figure asked.

"He is what's left or rather he's all that ever was."

"I meant his name."

"His name is not important neither the fact of what his intention is. Slowly and steadily, his memories are beginning to return to him. Once he finds out what truly happened his hatred toward the Leaf Village will instantly become stronger…to the point where he would vow to destroy it and everyone that's in it."

* * *

"Restoration at 6%" a computer voice sounded.

**(Memory Dream)**

"Jotaro." two voices sounded.

(Static)

A dream revealing a young Jotaro waking up seeing that he's on an open plain. He yawns and lies down again only to see a girl over his head.

"WHOA!" Jotaro jumped in the air surprised. The girl laughed at him being scared. "Give me a break R-"

(Static)

"Giving up already?" a man asked as he and Jotaro race each other.

(Static)

Jotaro and the man and woman sit in the sunset.

"If there are strong Shinobi in the world, what doesn't give us the right to become one? Besides, we don't even know ourselves so it's logical to make ourselves known."

(Static)

"Your entire life will soon be connected." a voice said.

"W-Who's there?" Jotaro asks turning to a man in black robes.

(Static)

"You'll only be tied to the darkness." the man said.

(Static)

"Jotaro, don't ever change." the woman said as she stood up.

(Static)

"Jotaro! Get out of here now!" the man said in a protective stance.

"Ich-(Static), I don't want to leave! What about R-(Static)

(Static)

"You understand nothing," the man in the brown said.

(Static)

**(End Memory Dream)**

Jotaro shot out of his bed while rubbing his head. He tries to comprehend on what just happened but to no avail.

"Another dream about them…" he said as he changed into his ninja outfit.

He goes outside and walked through the village rubbing his head. He was so confused about that sudden dream; he didn't notice that he passed Hinata and Naruto who looked at Jotaro all confused.

**_(A/N: Alright, finally transition back to Squad Seven, for some of you.)_**

"W-Was that J-Jotaro?" Naruto asks.

"No way…" Hinata scoffs, "He didn't even send us a cold look like he usually does."

**At Squad Seven's Meeting Place…Actually, 3 Hours Later…**

Hinata, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, after completing their C-ranked mission arrived at their meeting spot on a bridge.

_**(A/N: I wish I could make up a C-ranked mission for them but a lot of you wanted to get to the Chūnin Exams.)**_

Everyone except Naruto became furious because a certain 'teacher' of theirs is way too late.

"Grr…When is Kakashi-Sensai going to get here?!" Hinata shouted, "We always arrive at this spot on the dot, but he takes a century to get here!"

"Yeah! I didn't even get a chance to brush my hair." Sakura stated.

"I didn't even get a chance to change my panties!" Hinata said.

Naruto started blushing.

"You didn't change you panties?" Sakura said in annoyance, "Hinata…you are such a tomboy!"

Sasuke was annoyed already, _"It's early in the morning and already they're annoying the hell out of me…"_ he thought as he noticed something, "Hey you two," he said getting Hinata's and Sakura's attention, "It looks like you two gave Naruto a funny imagination!"

Everyone saw that Naruto was unconscious with a blushing face and bleeding nose. He must have imagined Hinata in panties.

"AAAHHH! Naruto!" Hinata rushed to Naruto's side and tries to wake him up, "I'm sorry Naruto! I'm sorry!"

Sakura then bonked Hinata on the head, "How could you do that to poor Naruto?!" she shouted.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't know he was sensitive to stuff like panties!" Hinata shouted.

Naruto unconsciously spilt out more blood from his nose.

"AAHH! We need a doctor!" Hinata shouted.

"Stop saying that word Hinata!" Sakura shouted bonking Hinata on the head.

Sasuke chuckled at the scene that was happening.

**After Naruto Recovered…**

Kakashi had finally arrived, "Good morning everyone. Sorry I'm late, I'm afraid I got lost on the paths of life."

This statement annoyed Hinata and Sakura, "That's a lie!"

"Anyways…I've been called to a meeting with the Third Hokage. The Chūnin Exams are starting tomorrow and I've recommended all four of you." Kakashi handed application forms to his students, "Sign these forms and arrive at room 301 on the third floor at the academy at 8:00. Good luck."

His students left to prepare but Kakashi remembered his argument with Iruka.

**(Flashback)**

**At the Hokage's Tower…**

"Alright then…" Sarutobi said starting the meeting, "Now that each of your students have completed a C-ranked mission, Genin teachers, please step forward."

Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma stepped forward.

"Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma, out of all of your students, which would you, recommend taking the Chūnin Exams despite their inexperience. As you know, any Genin whose has carried out eight or more missions is technically eligible for the examination. Other than that, you can decide when they are ready. Of course, most Genin require more training and twice that many missions."

Iruka couldn't help but think, "It's too soon to be saying all this, and it's too soon for their squads."

"So Kakashi, you begin." Sarutobi continued.

"I lead Squad Seven. Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Hinata Hyuga, I, Kakashi Hatake, recommend all four these Genin for the Chūnin Selection Exam."

Iruka was shocked at this.

Kurenai was next, "And my squad is number eight. Kiba Inuzuka, Jotaro Ozawa, Shino Aburame, and Kinuko Kitao, and now I, Kurenai Yuuhi, recommend all four."

Asuma was last, "And my squad is number ten. Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, and Narahiko Ui, and now I, Asuma Sarutobi recommend all four."

Iruka couldn't take it anymore, "Hold on just a second!"

"Yes, what is it Iruka…" Sarutobi said.

"Lord Hokage, with all due respect, the twelve names that were given belongs to all my students at the academy. I know their skills and abilities. Every one of them has great promise, but it's too soon; besides, they need more experience before they are tested. If they try now, they're sure to fail the exam."

"When I was became a Chūnin, I was six years younger than Naruto is now." Kakashi said.

"NARUTO IS NOTHING LIKE YOU!" Iruka shouted enraged that Kakashi compared himself to Naruto, "What are you trying to do? Destroy his confidence inside him completely? Naruto's self-belief may be growing each day he's with Hinata and the others, but it's still fragile!"

"Well…Hinata and the others always complain about not having enough of a challenge…maybe wiping out in the exams may teach them an important lesson…a little pain is good for them." Kakashi said.

"W-What did you say?!" Iruka said infuriated.

"Oh…nothing fatal of course, but seriously Iruka, relax. Listen, I know this upsets you and that it's personal, but…"

"Alright Kakashi" Kurenai said interrupting him, "Back off, you've said enough."

"On the contrary Kurenai," Kakashi continued, "Iruka needs to hear this. He needs to realize that those twelve Genin aren't his students anymore, they're ours."

_"Uggghh…Enough already,"_ Asuma though annoyed.

Kurenai sighed at the fact that Kakashi said something harsh that Iruka couldn't take.

"BUT, these exams could destroy them you know that!" Iruka said.

"Enough Iruka. You have made your point, and I understand." Sarutobi said.

"Lord Hokage…"

"Accordingly, I have decided that the best thing to do is to a special preliminary test."

"Pre…Preliminary test?"

**(End Flashback)**

_"I just hope that they're ready…"_ Kakashi thought.

**In a Forest…**

Sounds of four people training can be heard.

"Did you hear? We're going to have rookies at the exams," a man's voice sounded. "First-year Genin, they have not been selected in five years."

"No way…" a female voice said, "It's probably some Jonin trying to boost their ego."

"No…it's more than that. Four of them are from Kakashi's squad," the man said.

"Interesting…" a man sitting at a tree said.

"Not very…" the female said.

A pigeon flew above them.

"He's back." the man said.

That was when a short-black haired man with black pants, black shoes, and blue jacket with buttons on it, white gloves, and white arm braces appeared. The pigeon landed on his shoulder as it said, "PlipPlew! Either way, it's too bad for them." the pigeon said.

Wait, the pigeon talked?!

* * *

**_To Be Continued… _**

**_Author's Note: Alright I have some explaining to do. At the beginning where you see the word static, that word separates a segment of Jotaro's memory. You got that? Mostly it's similar to the beginning of KH2, like that memory of KH1 shown. Hopefully you won't be confused by that. I hope that you all enjoyed this. If you did, please review and stay cool!_**


	25. Rivals Appear: Squad Guy

**Author's Note: I don't own "Naruto". If I did, he and Hinata would be together, Sakura wouldn't be annoying and Sasuke wouldn't be a, well you know. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Rivals Appear: Squad Guy**

Hinata, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura arrived at the academy on time to finally take the Chūnin exams. As they walked up the stairs, Hinata and Sakura notice something peculiar. They arrive at the third floor to see a crowd. Apparently, there was a disturbance at the door where they are supposed to take the exams. They made their way through the crowd to see a black haired man with bushy eyebrows wearing a jump suit getting pushed backwards towards the ground.

"Hey! What's your problem?" the girl next to him said.

The girl was brown haired with steel colored eyes had two buns on the side of her head and what seemed to be a Chinese theme to her clothes, yet still athletic.

"This is the room where we are supposed to take our Chūnin exams." she said.

Two boys were guarding the door. One had strange bandages on his face and strange clothing. His hair stuck up in strange angles. He had two swords on his back. He gave them a creepy smile, "So you're the Genin that's going to take the Chūnin exams? Hah! In your dreams!" That statement mad the bushy eyebrow boy and brown haired girl angry, "Listen well punks, the only thing you can possibly get out of the Chūnin exams is death. It's better to just run along home to your mommies."

That was when Sasuke stepped forward, "Let us pass and remove the Genjutsu here. We're going to the 3rd floor," Sasuke told them.

"What is he talking about?" people started to murmur.

"So you noticed, huh?" the other boy said.

"Sakura, Hinata," he said, "you two must have noticed first right? Both of you are the most observant and chakra gifted on our team."

"Yeah I noticed. This is actually the 2nd floor," Sakura said.

"Yep," Hinata said.

"Not bad, but all you did was see through it!" The boy made a swift kick which Sasuke was going to match.

However, a man with a pigion on his sholder appeared out of nowhere and blocks both attacks with just his two fingers.

_"Who is this guy?"_ Sasuke thought, _"I didn't even see him coming."_

"Hey," the kid with the ponytail said, "we're not supposed to be drawing attention to ourselves. We discussed this, so what are you doing?"

The kid who was scolding pigeon boy had white eyes, dark brown hair, a weird collared shirt, and wrappings on 1 side of his body and a forehead protector. He looks kind of similar to Hinata.

Hinata knew who this was as they both saw each other. They walk towards each other.

"Neji." Hinata said.

"Hinata." the boy named Neji said.

And the next thing we know, they were sending glares at each other. Just when they were about to fight, they turned away from each other and walked off.

"Foureyes…" Hinata said.

"Weak Tomboy…" Neji said.

They turned around and shouted, "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!

They brought their faces against each other.

"You got a problem X Forehead?" Hinata asked in rage.

"Not if you have one Reckless Girl!" Neji said.

The two began a fight so devilish that it made everyone else cower behind each other in fear. That was when the pigeon kid went between the two, "Plip Plew! Alright you two, settle down so we can deal with this argument later." the pigeon said surprising everyone.

"What?! DID THAT PIGION TALK?!" they all shouted.

Neji sighed as he noticed Sasuke."Hey you," Neji said to Sasuke, "What's your name?"

"When you want to learn someone's name, you should give yours first." Sasuke said.

"You're a rookie, right? How old are you?"

"I don't have to answer you."

"Come on guys we're going to be late," Sakura said, "The Chūnin Exams wait for no one."

She started to walk as she pulled both Naruto and Sasuke by the elbow with Hinata following. As they reached a clear training room the bushy browed boy appeared.

"Hey you with the dark eyes," the boy with the green jumpsuit said, "Will you fight me right here right now?"

"A fight right now?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes," he said as he promptly hopped down from the upper floor. "My name is Rock Lee."

"Sasuke Uchiha."

"I want to fight you," Lee went into his battle stance, "I want to test my abilities against a member of a clan full of Genins."

"Plip Plew! Challenging him while knowing the Uchiha name?" a voice said, "Frankly you're an idiot Lee."

The boy with the pigeon appeared and his statement made Rock Lee mad.

"Come on!" Lee said in a beckoning stance.

"Wait! I'll take care of Bushy Brows. 5 minutes is all it takes." Hinata said.

"It's not you who I wish to fight. It's Uchiha." Lee said.

Fires of pure hatred filled Hinata's eyes, _"Dammit! It's always Sasuke this Sasuke that!"_

"Plip Plew! Lee, judging from the way that other guy pushed you around like a rag doll, you're probably nothing against one of the Uchiha members." the pigeon said.

Lee kicked him in the air with a swift kick. Everyone's eyes widened.

"I will show you hard work surpasses even you."

Everyone thought it was the end for the pigeon boy, but a colorful pinwheel pinned Lee's wrapping. It stopped him right in the middle of what he was doing. The pigeon boy began to fall...

"He's not stopping is he?" Sakura said to herself.

That was when the boy dug his finger into the ground causing cracks and landing unharmed and surprising everyone. Sakura looked over and saw a turtle. He must have thrown the pinwheel.

"Is th-that's a turtle?" Naruto asked pointing.

"Yeah, why?" Hinata asked.

"You might want to tell that to her," the turtle said as we heard part of the scolding.

They watched as someone appeared.

"Greetings!"

The man who looked like he could be related to Lee popped out on top of the turtle. He was striking a disturbing pose.

"I'm going to be in therapy 'til I'm 30," Hinata, Sakura, and Sasuke said.

"Plip Plew! I'm surrounded by idiots." the pigeon said.

Lee looked over angrily clenching his fist, "Don't make fun of Guy-sensei!"

"Hey!" Hinata shouted getting Lee's attention, "Why did you attack that guy? He didn't insult you, it was that pigeon!"

"It looks like she doesn't know," the man named Guy thought.

"Hey! Pigeon! Why don't you come down here and fight!" Hinata shouted at the pigeon.

The pigeon landed on the boy's shoulder, "Plip Plew! Sorry for the confusion guys, but I think that you have me misunderstood."

"Oh really! You said all of those mean things to Bushy Brow!" Hinata said.

"Let me introduce myself, I'm Yoshi-" the pigeon stopped, "I'm Mayumi." the pigeon pointed to the boy, "And this is my partner, Yoshihisa Taguchi."

Sakura then realized something, "Wait that pigeon almost introduced himself as that boy…I KNOW!' Sakura then pointed at the two, "You're a ventriloquist!"

Hinata ran in front of Yoshihisa and clapped cheerfully, "Wow really?! I didn't know that; you're so good! I never fall for simple tricks like that because I'm usually sharp!"

"Don't worry, it's a regular thing." Yoshihisa said through Mayumi.

Lee looked gleeful at least everyone is getting along. Then what happened was not what anyone but Yoshihisa was expecting: Guy decked Lee right on the jaw.

"Idiot!" he shouted.

Everyone watched as Lee flew a few meters. Their eyes widened considerably.

"Guy-sensei, I'm sorry!" Lee cried.

Guy-sensei knelt in front of his pupil.

"Lee," he said.

"Guy-sensei," Lee had dramatic tears flood down his eyes.

A sunset with crashing waves of the ocean appeared behind them as Guy-sensei pulled him into a bone crushing hug.

"Okay, that's even more disturbing," Sakura said sweat dropping.

"It's not that bad," Hinata said.

"So you're Kakashi's group?" Guy asked.

"Yes," Sakura said, "Do you know him?"

"We're eternal rivals." he answered.

"That sounds so fake!" Hinata cried.

They felt and heard a whoosh. Everyone turned around to see that Guy and Lee were running off.

"I'm stronger than Kakashi," he said proudly.

_"In speed yes," _I thought.

"Now we're off to the Chūnin Exams." Hinata shouted.

"We're already late," Sasuke said. "Come on guys."

They walked up to the stairs. Naruto and Sakura couldn't help but think they were going to their inevitable doom.

* * *

**To Be Continued…**

**_Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed it and review. Does Yoshihisa remind you of someone?_**

**_Next Time: The Chūnin candidates take a written test for the exam. Squad Seven figures out the answers to the questions without cheating to the best of their ability but when Naruto was almost at the final question, a weird sensation went through him. Like a giant hand pushed his mind over._**


	26. Unfriendly Chat

**Author's Note: Everyone! Let's have a chat! Throw away those smiling faces or gleeful attitudes because I'm in the most angriest of angriest moods right now!**

**Apparently, one of you "guest reviewers," went and made my day. And who's the winner? It's none other than "Seriously (Guest)" Here's his review:**

Seriously:I didn't even read this because of the damn title.  
If you want people to think you have enough knowledge to write about Naruto,  
then at least spell one of the most important aspects of the story right  
Jinchūriki  
J-i-n-c-h-ū-r-i-k-i  
I swear, if you can't spell that simple word then you shouldn't be writing  
fanfiction. Go read the f*** story 

**My response:…Okay…there is one word I can describe this…and it's: WHORE!**

**Seriously! I know that you guys have been complaining that I spelled the word Jinchuriki wrong but are you f*#king kidding me. When I focused some of the story one Squad Eight none of you cared, in fact you said that their story was dragging on which was my mistake. So what the living f*#k gives you the right! Yeah! I said it! That's how pissed off I am! Oh yeah do you remember Jotaro?! Yeah! He is nothing compared to how much of a d*#k you were about this! I dare you to come and say that to my face! Here's the thing for me: Jinchuriki is a Japanese name, are you expecting me to get it right the first time? If you are then here's a news flash: I'M AMERICAN! Spelling Jinchuriki right the first time is like spelling my name backwards without stopping! I'm not the perfect author you want okay! You wouldn't understand what I go through as an author! This is the thing I hate about Guests reviewers! You can't send a PM to them and you can't block them for saying something offensive! The fact that I'm taking a story to another turn is the best creative way I could spend my life and you should be grateful that I'm wasting my time typing away at this computer of mine…I'm sorry for those who have been nice to me about the misspelled word, in fact I corrected it now. I just…need to blow off some steam…I don't even know whether I'll be able to update the story again.**


	27. Familiar Faces: The Written Test

**Author's Note: I'm not crying…I'm not crying…OH WHAT THE HELL…THANK YOU GUYS! YOU STUCK BY MY SIDE! I PROMISE THAT I'LL DO MY BEST TO MAKE THIS STORY AMAZING!THANK YOU! PLEASE ENJOY AND REVIEW WHILE I GRAB A TISSUE BOX!**

**Familiar Faces: The Written Test**

"So you all came," Sensei said.

Sakura looked at the door that read 301. This time it wasn't a Genjutsu like before. She felt nerve racking anticipation. None of them don't know what to expect behind those doors.

"Yep," Hinata smiled.

"Well go on ahead," he sighed.

Hinata's smile returned as we approached the double doors. Everyone took a deep breath and then passed through them. They looked around. There were many faces and they were older than us. It was definitely intimidating. Sakura gulped in nervousness.

"Hey," Chouji greeted.

"Hi Chouji," Hinata said cheerily, "Hi Shikamaru. Hi Naruhiko."

Shikamaru and Naruhiko did a head motion signaling that he heard Hinata and this was his greeting.

"Sasuke," a voice squealed from behind.

It was so high pitched that it made the hair on the back of Sakura's neck stand up. No one don't even have to guess who that came from. They just _know_.

"Ino," Sakura stated.

Everyone turned around and Sasuke looked like he was about to kill as the blonde clung on his back like a monkey.

"Sakura," she said in the same tone as me while she snuggled deeper into the Uchiha.

She reminded me strongly of a monkey clinging to a tree or its mother.

"Hey everyone," Kiba said.

Hinata turned around. "Hi guys," she greeted.

She hasn't seen many of these people since the academy. It was nice to see them. Kinuko was with Kiba along with Shino but Jotaro wasn't there.

"Hi Shino," Sakura smiled slightly.

"Hello."

"It's been awhile," Hinata said a little nostalgically.

"Yeah, and I've gotten so much stronger. You guys won't stand a chance!" Kiba said with confidence and Akamaru barked with agreement.

"Akamaru," Sasuke said petting Akamaru's head, "It's been a while."

Akamaru bit him on the hand like last time with Hinata laughing at Sasuke. Akamaru let go this time and returned to his master.

Silence fell upon everyone in the group except the whimpering puppy. Awkward... That was when Jotaro finally appeared though he's in a bad mood, as usual.

"Anyway," Kiba continued with furrowed brows, "it seems all of Rookie 12 Genins have shown up. How far do you think we can get, Sasuke?"

Ino, who finally got off the boy's back, had a ticked off expression at the treatment of her "special" Sasuke.

"You seem confident, Kiba," the Uchiha said smugly.

"We trained like hell, we're not going to lose." Kinuko said.

"Shut up. Putting Sasuke aside, I won't lose to you," Hinata said.

"H-Hinata, I-I'm sure n-neither of didn't mean it," Naruto said shyly.

"Huh?" Hinata quirked her head to the side.

He looked away and continued to blush a shade deeper. Sakura observed her surroundings a bit more trying to A) curve boredom and B) see if anything sticks out.

"What are you looking at, Billboard Brow?" Ino teased.

"Nothing, Ino-Pig," Sakura replied swiftly as turned my gaze back to her.

"So," a voice called.

Everyone looked over and there was a silver haired man with glasses and a simple pony tail walking toward us. He seemed to be emitting confidence with ever action.

"This is Rookie 12. What cute faces... it reminds me of my old self a bit."

"Who are you to be to be telling us that?" Naruhiko said viciously.

"Kabuto Yakushi. This is my 7th time taking this exam."

"Seventh?" Sakura said warranting a little shock.

"Then you should be an expert," Ino said feeling confident about it.

"Yeah, but he hasn't passed. Geez this exam is getting harder and harder than it seems," Shikamaru said lazily.

"I'm just trying to help my cute underclassmen. In fact, do you see those shinobi over there?"

Everyone looked over at their harsh faces. They glared at us as if we were causing problems for them like Jotaro does with Naruto. Hinata continued to skim and came across somewhat familiar faces. There the 3 that are mentored by Gai-sensei and the 3 from Sand Village.

"Sand Village shinobi have a temper. Watch out."

"Ninja Info Cards," Kabuto said getting part of the conversation, "the contents can be shown when it comes to my chakra. They hold information from exam areas, the 5 great nations to individuals."

"Can you show me?" Sasuke said.

"Does anybody interest you?" Kabuto asks

"Rock Lee from the Leaf Village and Gaara from Sand Village."

He showed Lee first applying his chakra to the card.

"Rock Lee," he said reading the information, "his Taijutsu skills are superb, but he seems to suck at everything else. He's 1 year older than you."

_"I wonder why he only focuses his abilities on one skill set if you want to be a good ninja you need to broaden your horizon otherwise you're going to fail as a shinobi. Surely he knows that. Does he have weak ineffective chakra or something?"_ Sakura thought.

"Gaara. For a Genin he has completed B-rank missions already and hasn't been injured or anything. That's impressive." Kabuto said reading.

"B-rank missions and he hasn't been hurt?" Shikamaru said in amazement.

"Yes, but I don't know that much about him because this is his first time taking the exam."

Nervousness filled the air. Hinata was shaking.

"H-Hinata," Naruto said gently.

"YOU SHALL NOT PASS! I will beat all of you and become a Chunin! It'll be 1 step closer to becoming the Head of the Hyuga Clan!"

"Hm, "you shall not pass"," Kiba said snidely.

"My ears," Sakura said cringing slightly.

Suddenly, a zoomimg sound was heard.

A strange boy in what looked like a fuzzy hermit costume and wrappings everywhere, but a metallic arm came at Kabuto. He dodged swiftly from the metallic arm band thing with holes on it. Kabuto smirked, but then his glasses cracked and the smirk was wiped clean from his face. A frown of confusion graced my lips as he vomited.

"Kabuto!" Hinata said rushing to his aid.

Hinata and crouched on the other side of Kabuto.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine," he said trying to stand on wobbly legs. "Thank you." he said.

"For a veteran I thought you'd be better. Disappointing," the creepy furry turtle shell hermit man said.

The doors burst open. I looked over in a bit of surprise. It seems like everything is sneaking up on me today. That's not good.

"I am Ibiki Morino and I am your first exam proctor," there was a short pause and then he gestured to the creepy attacker guy, "There will be no fighting unless told otherwise. There will also no killing. Understand?"

"Sorry, I just got a bit over excited," he scratched the back of his head with a predatory smirk.

"Now, let's begin the first exam. It is written."

Everyone entered the Chūnin examination room and sat in their assigned seats. Naruto was next to 2 older kids he didn't recognize. He felt nervous about being separated from his team or anyone he knows.

"There are many important rules to this first test. I'll write it on the board while I explain, but questions will not be allowed so listen carefully," Ibiki said.

No questions on a test? That seems unknown.

"The first rule: you will start off with 10 points. The test is made up of 10 questions and each one is worth a point, but this test is a subtraction system. Basically if you answer all the questions correctly you keep your 10 points. The second rule: this is a team test. Whether you pass or not will be determined by the combined score of your teammates. So, each team will compete to see how many points they can hold onto from the initial team total of 30 points."

Now Naruto understands somewhat why Kakashi-sensei emphasized teamwork as an important factor. They all need each other in order to get things done as Genin. That's probably the same principle for Chunins as well.

"The third and most important rule: that if anyone is caught cheating during the exam by the testing officers you will have an automatic 2 point deduction for each offense. There will be some who will lose all their points and be asked to leave."

This is some extreme circumstances.

"Realize that the pathetic ones that get caught cheating will be destroying themselves. As Shinobi trying to achieve the level of Chunin, become proud Shinobi. And the final rule: those that lose all their initial points during the test and those that don't answer any questions correctly will be failed along with their 2 teammates. This exam will last 1 hour. Begin!"

**With Sasuke…**

Sasuke looked at the test. It contained a total of 10 questions like he said. He skimmed it at first looking over the entire thing. He noticed a final question at the bottom, his eyebrows rose. It's not there...

_The 10th question will be revealed after 45 minutes of test taking._

**With Kinuko…**

Kinuko went back up to the first question. _"It's a cipher," _Kinuko thought, _"Hmm... I just flip some letters and junctions... wrong combination. Okay, let's try this again. I'll try a similar combination then turned the paper on the side. Okay, that makes a little more sense. An honorable shinobi must see underneath the underneath. He is trained to win not fight fair._

**With Hinata…**

_"That's an interesting and bold statement. Does that apply to this exam? Are we supposed to play unfair somehow? This entire exam itself is insanely difficult with too many annoying rules. It provokes cheating. He is trained to win not fight fair. I hope Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke understands this." _Hinata thought.

**With Jotaro…**

Jotaro looked up at the clock, 15 minutes had already passed. _"I need to hurry, but if I'm right and the point is to in fact cheat then I don't see the point. He's not grading us on intellect he's testing our skills on getting information."_ Jotaro thought as he sighed and continued despite his theory...

**With Naruto…**

Naruto was finished 3 minutes before the 10th question was revealed. He closed his eyes wanting to relax his brain considering it was throbbing. Just when he put his head down on his arms he felt a weird sensation go through him. It felt like a giant hand pushed his mind over and he didn't have control over his body anymore.

_"Hmm, so this head does have it's uses," _Ino cackled.

"Time!" Ibiki said when Naruto came back to his conscious. He blinked rapidly to clear his head.

"First before we start the question I need your consent whether to take it or not."

"Why?" Ino asked.

"If you take it and get it wrong you will not be permitted to take The Chuunin Exams ever again. Your team doesn't pass along with you."

"What?! You can't do that!" Kiba screamed.

"Shut it! You have no right to question me!"

An explosion of murmurs.

"This is so unfair!"

"You guys are unlucky this year that you got me," he smirked with his marred face.

"I-If we pass this portion of the exam and w-we don't pass the other parts... are will still allowed to take the exam?"

"What you do outside the exam doesn't concern me."

"Oh...,"

"I quit. Sorry team," someone said raising their hand.

Many others began to follow quickly. Even Jotaro scowled slightly. They couldn't believe they would quit on their own comrades.

"I will take the 10th question. I'll never stop and I never give up! That's my ninja way!" Hinata shouted, "I will still become Head of the Hyuga clan even if I'm not a Chūnin! I won't give up!"

Silence filled the room as Ibiki opened his mouth and said, "Everyone, you all pass."

* * *

**_To Be Continued…_**

**_Author's Note: I'd like to honor those who stuck by my side against "Seriously Guest". For those who love and protect the story…I salute you. Thank you. I've made a new motto:_**

**_~Stay True~_**

**_Next Time: The Rookie 12 takes the second part of the Chūnin Exams. They are to travel through a forest made of death as they meet strange ninjas. Different things happen and probably weird events as well as deadly ones._**


	28. The Forest of Death

**_Author's Note: Ooohh…Scary…Very…Halloweeny…Happy Halloween people and first off I'd like to congratulate reader "AndThereShallBeNone" (Weird name) for being the 100_****_th_****_ person to favorite this story. Please enjoy and don't have nightmares._**

**The Forest of Death**

The Rookie 12 were introduced a giant forest with insanely thick trees. They were covered in moss, vines and grass. Naruto reads on the chain link fence's sign which said "Danger! Stay out!" There are only 26 teams left. Even that seems large to the second proctor Anko Mitarashi. She claims she will cut the numbers in half.

"This is the 2nd stage of The Chūnin Exams." Anko said.

"This place just creeps me out," Sakura said scared out her mind.

Anko chucked as she said, "It should, they call it the Forest of Death and soon you'll find out why."

Steam came out of Hinata nose as she did a funny dance, _"They call it the Forest of Death and soon you'll find out why,"_ she mimicked. "Do your worse! You think that'll scare me?! That's nothing! I'm not afraid!" she shouted confidently.

"Yeah, you're spirited," the woman appeared right behind her and slashed her cheek, "Kids like you are killed off quickly."

She licked her blood. Then a woman with abnormally long tongue grabbed the fallen kunai. It caught everyone by surprise.

"Here's your kunai," she said.

"Why thank you," Anko said, "But you know... don't sneak up behind me unless you want to die."

"It's just I get so excited when I see blood... and you cut my precious hair," she began to walk back to her similar friends

"Sorry about that," Anko said, "Now, before we start the second test there's something I have to pass out. You must sign these agreement forms."

"Wh-What?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"There will be deaths in this one and if I don't have you sign these it will be my responsibility," she said with a chipper atmosphere, "I'm going to explain the second test and then you can sign it afterwards. Each team will check in that booth behind me. I'll now explain the 2nd test simply puts you will attempt the ultimate survival. First I'll explain the area in which it will take place. Around practice arena #44 are 44 locked gates. There's a forest, river, and a tower in the center; from the gates to the tower is about 10km. During the survival in here, you will be asked to complete a certain task using your many weapons and jutsu, you will compete on a...no rules...scroll battle. You will fight over these 2 scrolls: the "Heaven" and "Earth"."

Anko held up two scrolls. They were simple scrolls with the kanji for heaven and earth.

"I will be cutting the current teams in half. There will be only 13 teams remaining. Half of the teams will be given the Earth scrolls and the other half will be given the Heaven scrolls. Teams must arrive at the tower with both scrolls. There's also a time limit. This second test will last 120 hours. Exactly 5 days."

"5 days!?" Ino exclaimed.

"What about dinner?!" Chouji screamed.

"You're on your own. The forest is full of food. Just watch out for man-eating beasts, poisonous insects, and poisonous plants. Also the probability of 13 teams passing is not likely. As the days go on, the distance to the goal will become farther and the time to rest will become shorter. The area is crawling with enemies, you won't get much sleep. So not only will some fail by losing the scroll, but some will die from the harshness of the course. Now, I'll talk about what will disqualify you. First, those that don't make it to the tower with both scrolls within the time limit. Second, those who lose a teammate or those have a teammate killed. As a rule there is no quitting in the middle, you will be in the forest for 5 days. One more rule you must not look inside the scroll until you make it to the tower."

"What happens if you do?" Sasuke asked.

"That will be a surprise for anyone who does," Anko said slyly. "A Chuunin will be asked to handle classified information. This is to test your trust-worthiness. Exchange the 3 forms for your scroll, and then choose a gate to get ready for the start. A final word of advice: Don't die."

Squad Seven obtained the Heaven Scroll meaning that they will need an Earth scroll to pass. They lined up at their starting points.

"Ready…Set…GO!" Anko shouted as all of Rookie 12 sped off through the forest at incredible speed.

**With Squad Eight…**

Kinuko landed in the grass near a tree. The rest of the squad stopped as well.

"Why'd you stop Kinuko?" Jotaro asked.

"We need to make a plan," Kinuko said.

Just then a blood curdling scream came from someone's scream. Kinuko and Akamaru jumped in surprise as a shudder of fear went through them. Kinuko gripped the moss covered tree for support.

"God," she whispered hoarsely.

"That was a human's right?" Kiba asked.

"Yes," Shino said not the slightest bit moved by the scream.

"We need a plan," Kinuko said more clearly as she stood up properly.

"Okay, but I have to take a piss," Kiba said.

Kiba unzipped his pants and tried to take a piss, but Kinuko bonked him on the head. "You idiot! I can't believe you have the nerve to do something like that in front of a girl! Go find a bush or something!"

**With Squad Seven…**

Squad Seven looked at the fork in the path stretching to three pathways.

"Let's take the middle," Hinata said heading forward.

Sakura however stopped her, "Hold on Hinata, if we want to survive, we need to take the path ninja normally don't take."

"Wh-Why's that S-Sakura," Naruto said.

"Because when ninja take middle paths, the chances of dying are higher. So let's take the left."

"I think we should head right." Sasuke said.

"Let's let Naruto decide." Hinata suggested as everyone turned to Naruto.

He thought for a long time until he said, "L-Let's take the right."

"Okay then." Hinata said.

They took the right path and suddenly it was dark.

"It's so dark," Sakura said scared.

"Hey, what if this is one of those games." Hinata said.

"Huh? What game?" Sakura asked.

"You know, those games where you choose a path, if you choose the wrong one, you lose."

"Why are you saying this now?! What if we picked the wrong one?!"

"If we picked the wrong one then…We'd probably get eaten by a giant snake or something."

"What?! SCREW THAT! What kind of sick imagination do you have?! Don't you know that you get digested when eaten? Do you know how many times your life can flash before your eyes during that process?! That's something I don't want to know!"

"Alright you two," Sasuke said, "Enough of your imaginations. There's no way that will ever-"

Before he could finish, the group exited the dark cave and suddenly found themselves on top of a giant snake's tongue. The look on their faces was priceless. Sakura's eyes and teeth were out of their sockets in surprise as Hinata and Naruto's hair stick straight up with their eyes stretched out and tongues wagging, and Sasuke's eyes became gigantic.

"AAAGGHHH!THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!" they shouted as the giant snake closed its mouth with them in it and swallowed them.

**With Squad Eight…**

"Jotaro," Kinuko said, "We should set up in a place first, gather foods, fresh water and medicinal materials. We should wait until all the strong teams are gone and then go after the easier targets."

A steady trickle of pee was still going in the bushes.

"Are you suggesting we're weak?" Kiba asked.

"We're considered the underdogs along with the rest of Rookie 12," Kinuko said reasonably.

"Kinuko I don't know-"

Kiba was cut off by Jotaro and Shino, "I agree with Kinuko."

"So do I." Shino

"Alright," Kinuko said, "Let's go find a place to hide out."

"Wait," Kiba said zipping up his pants.

He caught up to them while they try to get their bearings on the terrain.

"I'm going to get an aerial view," Kinuko said.

Kinuko began to walk up the tree using the right amount of chakra. She felt the familiar pull as she took careful steps. She wasn't sure about this forest and what kind of creatures hid in these thick trees.

"Can you really tell all this from being a Medical Ninja?" Kiba said doubting me.

"It's given me some knowledge. It's not great though. I was on a time crunch and I was half asleep during the night I was studying this." Kinuko answered.

After a few minutes she hopped off the tree and stood beside them.

"Did you find anything?" Kiba asked eagerly.

"Like I said before I don't really have a good knowledge on this terrain. Also the trees are so thick I can't really see much."

"I hate to say it, but we'll have to search by foot. We need to go separate ways. It will be quicker, but do not go farther than a mile," Shino instructed.

"What if somebody disguises themselves with a transformation technique," Kiba threw in there.

"That's true. They could easily demand any of us for the scroll and then kill us," Kinuko said.

"We'll come up with a password." Jotaro said.

"What kind of password?" Kiba asks.

Jotaro gestures for them to come in closer. He began to whisper, "A password only the four of us know, and don't trust anyone who doesn't know it. I'm only going to say this once, so listen closely. The question will be: When does a ninja strike? And the response is: A ninja waits until the time is right. When the enemy sleeps or drops its guard. When its weapon is left forgotten in the stillness of the night. That is the moment for a ninja to strike. Got it?"

"Got it," Kinuko said.

"Got it," Shino said.

"Wait... that's way too complicated. Come up with something shorter," Kiba said.

"No," Jotaro said.

"Now, I will be taking the scroll." Shino said getting up.

"No way Shino." Jotaro said, "I have to keep it. Enemy's will only go for the weak people thinking that they have the scroll."

"Fine," Shino's eyebrows creased a bit, "Remember no longer than a mile guys."

"Let's go," Kiba said energetically.

That was when something sharp hit Kiba's cheek as they looked at the direction of where that thing came from. They look closely as a gust of wind came out of nowhere. Shino and Kiba quickly dodged while Jotaro pushes Kinuko out of the way allowing him to be blasted away.

**With Squad Seven…**

The remains of a dead snake are found and everyone was fine.

Naruto was gasping for breath, "W-We're alive…" Apparently, when the snake ate them, Naruto used Shadow Clone Jutsu to create hundreds of clones causing the giant snake to explode.

Sakura had a scarred face, "I-I really thought w-we were going to die…" she said with a shaking voice.

Hinata however was laughing her ass off as Sasuke kicked her multiple times on the head.

"THAT'S BECAUSE "SOMEONE" HAD TO MAKE A DUMBASS STORY TO JINX US!" Sasuke shouted continually kicking the idiot.

"THAT WAS SO SCARY! I HONESTLY BELIEVED WE WERE GONERS!" Hinata said still laughing.

That was when Naruto jumped from his spot alerting the others.

"What is it Naruto?" Hinata asked.

"I f-feel some sort of w-wicked ch-chakra coming from over there…" Naruto said pointing towards the direction.

**With Jotaro…**

Jotaro found himself knock up against a tree as he rubbed his sides, "Damn…that hit was something else…" That was when he heard and felt something completely off. The sound became louder, so Jotaro quickly jumped into the bushes. He watched as a huge snake begins to uncoil itself. It was tan and dull green blending with the ground well.

_"Holy shit"_, he thought.

He looked closer there seemed to be something in the center. It almost seemed human sized.

"It's time to play with one of my prey," she heard a sickly voice speak.

* * *

**To Be Continued…**

**_Author's Note: I hope all of you have/had a fun Halloween. I wonder what will happen next. Hopefully something that won't scar you for life. Happy Halloween to all, and to all a good night! See ya soon!_**

**_~Stay True~ AH! A Rhyme!_**

**_Next Time: Jotaro meets a mysterious woman who has the appearance of a snake. The lady puts Jotaro in a stuck of fear as members of Squad Seven try to save him from abnormal death._**


	29. Fight against the Snake Lady: Curse Mark

_**Author's Note: Over 20,000 views! YAHOO! Congrads to the story people and enjoy!**_

**Fight against the Snake Lady: Curse Mark**

"What is it Naruto?" Hinata asked.

"I f-feel some sort of w-wicked ch-chakra coming from over there…" Naruto said pointing towards the direction.

**With Jotaro…**

Jotaro found himself knock up against a tree as he rubbed his sides, "Damn…that hit was something else…" That was when he heard and felt something completely off. The sound became louder, so Jotaro quickly jumped into the bushes. He watched as a huge snake begins to uncoil itself. It was tan and dull green blending with the ground well.

_"Holy shit"_, he thought.

He looked closer there seemed to be something in the center. It almost seemed human sized.

"It's time to play with one of my prey," he heard a sickly voice speak.

Jotaro felt a crawling on his skin. He looked down. There were small baby like snakes nesting in him. They hissed and thrashed somewhat threateningly much like a warning. Jotaro jumped out of the bushes. The snakes came off and were settling back into the bushes with an even angrier hissing and thrashing as if upset that he moved. Jotaro turned to the lady who noticed him.

"So like good prey, you come out of hiding," she smirked.

Jotaro took a deep breath of confidence, "Why do you refer to me as prey?"

"I am the predator and like always the prey will become...dead," she said licking her lips.

"I won't die and there's no way that I'm afraid of you," Jotaro said a bit viciously.

"Oh really…then you will be standing as you are after this?" she asked.

"Huh?" Jotaro was confused by the question.

The woman then did something mysterious as full shock came to Jotaro. Everything was pure green in his eyes as he sees his own death in the most horrific way. He fell to his knees and vomited as he shook with fear.

He slowly looks up at the woman, _"Wh-What was th-that. I f-felt my own d-death happening, but I'm st-still alive."_ He thought. _"I-I've got to get out of h-here, away f-from her because if I d-don't, she'll k-kill me. Sh-She's death!"_

"What a shame…" the woman said, "I was hoping for you to have enough willpower to withstand that since a relative of yours was able to."

_"R-Relative…? C-Could she mean…?" _Jotaro thought.

"I'm afraid this is where your life ends." The woman then took out a kunai knife and threw it at Jotaro.

_"Come on Jotaro! Move."_ Jotaro took out a kunai, _"MOVE!"_ he stabbed his own leg and was able to get out of sight of the woman.

"He overcame fear with pain…" she said as she smiled, "I guess he isn't as weak as I thought."

Far away from her, Jotaro was panting hard for breath. He didn't bother to make a sound, _"I-I got to keep moving, far away from that demon."_

That was when a giant snake appeared behind him. He quickly sees this and dodges its bite as the snake came after him. What he saw horrified him as he saw the woman's eyes on the snake.

"NO! STAY AWAY!" Jotaro threw shurikens at the snake's mouth killing it.

Though he thought everything was over, he saw something that completely shattered that thought.

The woman was coming out of the snake's body, "I praise you Jotaro Ozawa. You're the perfect person in my selection. Though I originally had my sights set on Sasuke Uchiha, but he developed a certain resistance to the darkness in his heart. So I did what anyone would do and moved down the list. Now then…" She slithered like a snake as her entire body became long as one and rushed towards Jotaro. Just as she was about to reach him a kunai knife cut her off from Jotaro.

"Looks like we made it just in time!" a familiar voice shouted.

Jotaro and the snake woman look in the direction and saw the members of Squad Seven over at another tree.

"I was wondering what that devilish chakra we felt was," Sasuke said.

"It must be coming from that woman over there." Sakura said.

"But l-look at her…her body is l-long." Naruto said.

_"Sq-Squad Seven?! This is bad! As much as I hate them…They don't know what they're getting themselves into! What do I do?!"_ Jotaro thought as he remembered something.

"More prey to kill…" the woman said, "Lovely!"

Before she could do anything, Jotaro shouted at her, "You can have it!"

The woman turned to Jotaro who had the Earth Scroll in his hand.

"You can take my team's scroll and you can leave me and Squad Seven alone!"

_"What is that idiot doing?!"_ Hinata thought.

The woman smiled, "Excellent, in order for the prey to escape from the predator, the prey must distract the predictor with something much more precious. The smartest move Jotaro."

Jotaro threw the scroll at the woman, "Take it!"

Just before the woman could get Jotaro's scroll, Hinata came in and caught it and landed by Jotaro. Jotaro however was angry, "Hinata! Don't play some damn hero today! Stay out of this and leave it to me!"

Hinata however struck Jotaro in the chest with a palm strike knocking him back, "You stupid fool! You don't know what you're doing!"

"Well at least I know who I am, but you, Jotaro…I'm not so sure about. How do we know you are who you say you are?" Hinata said confusing Jotaro.

"What sort of nonsense is this? It is me idiot!" Jotaro shouted.

"Liar…LIAR! You may look just like him…you may sound just like him, but there's no way you're the Jotaro we know!" This shocks everyone, "I don't care what kind of tough fight you've been through but surrendering? Giving up your team's scroll? When did Jotaro become a coward?!" Hinata pointed at Jotaro, "You keep saying that we don't know what's going on but we do: You choked Jotaro!"

The woman chuckled, "Sad…but true." she then licked her lips like a snake, "It doesn't matter." she then pulled her left sleeve to reveal strange patterns. "As far as the scroll goes, I can simply kill you and take it." She then bit her thumb hard and used the blood to paint a line on her arm.

Hinata then rushed at the woman, "Then let's see you try it!"

"Don't! Hinata no!" Jotaro shouted.

"Summoning Jutsu!" the woman then summoned a giant snake blowing a gust of wind.

**Meanwhile…**

Three shinobi ninja stood before three dead bodies.

"That's no way to treat a Buddha." one said.

"What do you think?" another asked, "Some kind of Ninjutsu isn't it?"

"Well whatever it is, it's a problem," the third one said, "Just when things are running smoothly. What a drag… We've got to report this. Go get the proctor."

"Right." and the ninja officer left.

**Meanwhile…**

Anko is sitting on her cabin enjoying her snack, "MmmMmm, nothing makes dumplings go down like a little sweat red bean soup. Guess it's about that time. When I finish this little snack, I'll go see how the kiddies are doing. The quicker one will be finishing soon. I suppose I should wait and greet them at the tower then." she threw the dumpling stick at the tree completing the Leaf symbol, "There, a perfect Leaf Village symbol."

That was when one of the officers appeared, "Pardon Ma'am. There's a problem."

"Hmm? What sort of problem?" Anko asked.

"Corpses Ma'am. Three of them."

"Come on, I'm trying to eat here."

"I think you want to see them. There's something strange about them."

"Besides being dead?"

Anko decided to take a look at the dead bodies and was shocked by what she saw.

"I went through their belongings and found their identification: Ninja from the Hidden Grass Village. All three of them were registered for the Chūnin Exams. They weren't just killed." the man explained.

"All their faces…they're gone." Anko said.

"Yeah…There's nothing, like their faces just melted off."

Anko gripped her neck as she thought, _"No doubt about it. This is "his" Jutsu. Why is he here? What's he doing at the Chūnin Exams?"_ she then spoke, "Okay! I need photos of what these three used to look like! Where are their I.D's?"

"Right here Ma'am." the man gave her three I.D cards.

She looked at the picture of the woman from before, _"So this is the face he stole…"_ she then realized something, _"Had it already happened?"_

**(Flashback)**

"Here's your kunai," she said.

"Why thank you," Anko said, "But you know... don't sneak up behind me unless you want to die."

"It's just I get so excited when I see blood... and you cut my precious hair," she began to walk back to her similar friends.

**(End Flashback)**

Anko turns to the three officers, "We've got big trouble! Okay get going, tell Lord Hokage exactly what's happened here! And while you're at it, tell the ANBU Black Ops that they better get a couple of convoys to the Forest of Death! Meanwhile, I'll go ahead after these guys. Now Go!"

"Right!" all three of them said as the disappeared.

Anko gripped her neck again, _"He's come. He's here in the Hidden Leaf Village."_

**Meanwhile…**

Hinata is panting for breath since her battle with the snake lady was proving troublesome.

The woman chuckled, "What a tasty meal you'll make for him. Be careful, he likes to play with his food."

The snake then charged at Hinata. Before she could react, it smashed her along with the branch she was on.

"H-Hinata!" Naruto shouted.

Hinata fell through three branches hit a hard on coughing out blood and losing consciousness and began falling to the ground. A pulse went through Jotaro.

"Enough playing," the woman said, "Finish her off."

The snake opened its mouth ready to devour Hinata while Sasuke and Sakura rushed and caught her while Naruto concentrates hard, _"Come on…I need your power again…"_

Naruto opened his eyes to reveal the blood-red color and rushed towards the snake and punched it hard in the face, "Eat this!"

This surprises the woman as she saw Naruto's eyes, "But how…? It's impossible."

She was then hit by a Fireball Jutsu fired by Sasuke, but the snake rushed forward and slammed him to the ground knocking him out. Another pulse went through Jotaro.

"You are strong Sasuke Uchiha, but Jotaro's anger makes yours look weak in comparison." the woman said.

She was then hit by a chakra punch to the face delivered by Sakura.

_"The Angel's Arm Jutsu…the well known Haruno clan's power. Fortunately, I already knew this girl's power and know just how to counter it."_ the woman thought.

Sakura then rushed forward to deliver another chakra punch until the woman dodged and filled her fist with black chakra and punched Sakura straight in the gut. Sakura let out of gasp of pain as she lost consciousness and fell to the ground. Another pulse went through Jotaro.

"Sakura! Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, "Damn you! I'll make you pay!"

Naruto then gave the snake several thrashes of punches. The snake pushed him back but Naruto landed on a tree side and rushed forward towards it again. The woman smirked as she put out her palm. She breathed as fire came out of her mouth and hit Naruto knocking him through a tree. Yet another pulse went through Jotaro.

_"That fire in his eyes…There's no mistaking it now."_ the woman thought. "Things have gotten very interesting." she then turned to Jotaro, "Now then; let's see how you do Jotaro."

The giant snake rushes at Jotaro in full speed. Jotaro could hear his own heart beating and he couldn't move. He closed his eyes and screamed waiting for his death.

**Meanwhile…**

Anko jumped from tree to tree at great speed, "This could be bad. I've got to hurry, and pray that I'm not too late.

**Meanwhile…**

Kinuko, Kiba, and Shino found a piece of Jotaro's clothing. Akamaru stiffed the clothing for a while and barked.

"Have you gotten the scent Akamaru?" Kiba asked.

Akamaru nodded his head yes.

"Show us the way." Kinuko said.

The headed off to search for Jotaro with Akamaru leading.

**With Jotaro…**

When Jotaro opened his eyes, he saw that Naruto stabbed the snake with two of his kunai knife while panting heavily as he said:

**_(A/N: Jotaro haters you are going to love these words)_**

"Hey Jotaro. You're not hurt are you? Crybaby!" Naruto said as he opened his eyes to reveal his crimson red color.

Jotaro was surprised that the same Naruto he used to pick on had the courage to say that.

"Look at you," Naruto continued, "Shaking in fear and frozen like a frighten rabbit. Hinata was right; you can't be the Jotaro I know."

That was when Naruto was grabbed by the woman's long tongue and held over.

"Hey! Let me go!" he shouted as the woman brought Naruto close.

_"Extraordinary, so the Nine-Tailed boy still lives."_ she thought as she performed a handsign, "I see…the Nine Tailed Fox must have given you power that you can control. That's always been like him." Purple flames appeared on her fingertips, "What an interesting childhood you must have had." Her tongue pulled Naruto's shirt revealing a strange symbol on his belly, "The spell that seals him within you has appeared on your skin." she pulled her arm back, "Five Prong Seal!" she jabbed her fingers on the symbol on Naruto's body. Naruto gasped the sound of pain.

Yet another pulse went through Jotaro. Naruto's crimson red eyes quickly turned back into ocean blue as he loses consciousness.

_"For 12 years, the seal has remained unbroken, yet somehow the boy and the fox were able to make a connection. Soon the demon's chakra and the boy's will become one."_ She reached into Naruto's pocket and took out Squad Seven's Heaven's Scroll. _"But for now, he's just in my way."_ she then threw Naruto fast towards a tree.

Just when he was about to die from the fall, a chakra hand caught him in time. Sakura had regained consciousness.

"I-I've got you N-Naruto." she said as she pulled Naruto towards her.

Jotaro went into complete thought, _"Cryb- No…Naruto is now a whole different person now. I could say what I like about him: that he's a pest and he nothing but a failure. But at least he's doing his best. At least he's not a coward!"_ Jotaro then remembered words of misfortune as he stared at the sunlight.

"Foolish Jotaro." a man's voice said, "You can't kill me and you can never save your sister. Your hate's not strong enough. You're not strong enough. Your life is too precious to you. So run."

_"No…"_ Jotaro thought.

"That's right, run away and live." the voice continued. "Live with the shame."

_"No…"_ Jotaro thought as he hears in his mind the sound of a little girl crying, "NO!"

Jotaro's eyes snapped open to reveal the left side of each of his eyes is white while the right side of each of his eyes was black.

"Sakura! Take your comrades and leave! We'll meet again at the end!" Jotaro said.

Sakura nodded as she took Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata's unconscious bodies and surprisingly sped away leaving Jotaro with the snake lady.

The woman smiled, "I knew it. It's finally happened. The bloodline he inherited from his parents has finally come to a boil." she went into a fighting stance, "I think I'll play with him a bit and learn the full extent of his power."

Jotaro took out a kunai knife and held it with his mouth. _"All I ever cared about was surviving in order to save my sister. What a fool I've been. I see the truth now. Squad Seven, Squad Eight, if I don't have enough courage to fight this demon, then how can I ever hope to save her?!"_

Jotaro rushed at the woman preparing to attack as she blew a gust of wind at him but he easily jumped in the air. He threw his kunai at her but she dodged it while Jotaro jumped back and appeared behind her and threw a punch while she blocked it. Jotaro then performed a summersault over her. They both rushed at each other exchanging blow to blow as neither side gave an inch. The woman then jumped over Jotaro and landed behind him. He turned around to see that she was gone, but thanks to his unknown eyes, the woman's incredible speed looked like she was just jogging.

_"I can see…"_ he thought as he dodged her attack.

_"I CAN SEE!"_ he thought as he shot multiple Fireball Jutsus at her.

After the smoke cleared, the woman rushed through the ground and attempted to scratch Jotaro but he easily dodged. Jotaro took a deep breath and readied himself for his or the woman's next move.

"You're good." she thought, "You anticipate my attacks and your aim is true. You can see my moves can you?"

**Meanwhile…**

The sun is setting and Anko was still jumping from tree to tree until she stopped. _"The sun's going down…I've got to find him soon," _she thought, _"My odds are bad enough as it is, but it only gets worse in the dark. But why now? What the hell could he be after? No matter…he's here. Time to finish this._

**With Jotaro…**

The woman fired a gust of wind at Jotaro again and he again dodges it. He stood upside down on a tree branch on top of the woman and dropped down on her grabbing her body. He dived down towards the ground at incredible speed smashing her head directly into the ground creating a crater. Jotaro let go and stood awhile to see if she's really dead. But to his dislike, the woman turned into a puddle.

"A Substitution Jutsu!" He thought as he was hit by something sharp and dodged others sharp needles.

He checked his surroundings but he didn't see the woman appear in front of him as she delivered a solid blow to his face. She then gives him a barrage of attacks knocking him to the ground.

"What a disappointment you turned out to be." she said, "Your late parents weep. Your family should thank me for killing you."

That was when an explosion started behind her making her stumble. Jotaro took this chance to move outward and throw kunai tied to strings around her. Jotaro controlled the strings with one hand.

"Incredible! A Sharigan Windmill Shuriken Attack! With one hand!" she said in amazement.

She found herself tied by the strings.

"Your finished," Jotaro said performing handsigns, "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!" Jotaro shot a large fire that connected to the string and blasted the woman.

The woman let out an agonizing scream as she was knocked unconscious by the flame. Jotaro put his hands on his knees as he pants for breath, "I did it."

However, the woman pulled herself out of the string and performed a handsign as she opened her left eye to reveal snake like pupil. Jotaro suddenly froze and couldn't move as he turned to see that the woman was still alive.

"B-But how?" he asked.

"Such mastery of your family's rare power. You truly have a rare gift." the woman said as her lady voice suddenly changed to a male's. "Yes, you'll do nicely."

Jotaro suddenly felt his head cocking towards his right side but he didn't cause the movement.

"You are definitely her older brother. I hate to break it to you but Mihoko's eyes are much keener than yours." he said.

"Y-You know my sister?! Who are you and what do you want?!" Jotaro asked.

The man chuckled as he held out Squad Seven's scroll and began to burn it, "My name is Orochimaru. But as to what I want, that will have to wait until we meet again, which won't happen until you finish this test with the best scores of all."

"Squad Seven's scroll!" Jotaro shouted.

"First, you'll have to defeat the Hidden Sound ninja who serve me." Orochimaru explained.

"Listen here: I don't know what you're talking about, but if you're finished, why don't you just beat it. If we ever meet again it will be too soon!" Jotaro shouted.

"Ooh…you and I will meet again…" he performed a handsign as his neck extended and headed for Jotaro. Orochimaru let out a hiss as he bit Jotaro on the left side of his neck. He let go and his neck returned to normal as Jotaro griped his neck in pain. Three black dots appeared on his neck as Jotaro screamed in pain.

"W-What did you d-do to me?" Jotaro asked in pain.

"I just gave you a little parting gift." Orochimaru answered. "Very soon, you will seek me out in desire for my power. In the meantime, I enjoyed the demonstration of the powers you already possess." Orochimaru chuckled as he disappeared into the ground.

Jotaro screamed in pain as he fell to the ground. The pain was more than anyone could imagine as Jotaro fell unconscious. That was when Squad Eight appeared. Kinuko noticed Jotaro unconscious and ran to him.

"Jotaro!" Kinuko tried to wake him up but he was out cold.

"We need to get him somewhere safe." Kiba suggested as Akamaru barked in agreement.

"Kiba's right," Shino said, "It's almost dark."

"Alright," Kinuko said as she picked up Jotaro and they sped off to search for shelter.

* * *

**To Be Continued…**

**_Author's Note: And there you have it. Jotaro got the Curse Mark and Sasuke didn't. I hope that you enjoyed the chapter and review._**

**_~Stay True~_**

**_Next Time: Kinuko looks after the unconscious Jotaro while Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino look for other teams with both scrolls. However, a team from the Hidden Sound Village attacks Kinuko demanding her to bring Jotaro to them. But when Kinuko is pinned down and sheds tears of regret, a horrifying change happens in Jotaro._**


	30. A Horrific Power Unleashed

**A Horrific Power Unleashed**

**(Static)**

"Restoration at 12%" a computer voice said.

Inside a mysterious place, a 15-year-old boy saw the battle between Jotaro and the snake lady as 15-year-old girl appeared by his side.

"Orochimaru…he found Jotaro." the boy said.

"But why would Orochimaru give Jotaro the Curse Mark?" the girl said.

"Both Jotaro and his sister's hatred are only based on lies. That fool can never tell the difference. But we're running out of time. We need to make haste.

**(Static)**

**(Memory Dream)**

Young Jotaro found himself washed on the shore and woke up.

"Huh? Where am I?" he asked.

**(Static)**

"What happened? Mother, Father, M-(Static)

**(Static)**

"The Kages require you assistance," a man said.

"Who are you?" Jotaro asked.

"You are the one who possess not one but two Kekkei Genkai."

**(Static)**

"The combination of the Hyuga and Uchiha blood. An unknown blood trait and you have the right to name it."

**(Static)**

"So then…the Ciralian," Jotaro said looking at his eyes in the mirror.

"The Kages see a lot of potential in you."

**(Static)**

"Hey, why don't we stick together?" a boy asked.

"If I can find my sister."

"Kinuyo's the name." the girl said.

"Name's Ichiyo." the boy said.

"I'm Jotaro. I'll go with you guys."

**(End Memory Dream)**

**With Squad Seven…**

Hinata and Sasuke had regained consciousness after their fight with the snake lady.

"Damn you snake lady! The next time we meet, I'll definitely not forgive you!" Hinata shouted in rage.

"She must have a weakness! When I find it I'll show no mercy!" Sasuke shouted cracking his knuckles.

"Hey guys! We've got bigger thinks to worry about!" Sakura shouted, "Naruto's still not waken up!"

They all looked at Naruto still unconscious.

"And for some reason, we don't have our scroll anymore and Naruto was the last person standing on this team in that battle." Sasuke said.

"Anyways, it should be easy to find two more, besides; it's only been a day so we have four days left." Hinata said optimistically.

"Alright, Sakura, you look after Naruto. Hinata and I will search for other team's scrolls. Be careful." Sasuke instructed.

"Right! You too!" Sakura said as Sasuke and Hinata left.

**With Squad Eight…**

Squad Eight had set up a camp near a large tree. Kiba and Shino had left to find some way to help Jotaro with his Curse Mark while Kinuko watches over him. Kinuko found a supply of water from a river and carried it in a small empty container she had in my medic pouch. She's been up for an entire night and worked nonstop to get Jotaro back to health and set up proper traps. When gathering food, materials and ideas of making traps with this environment, she set fires to lead anyone off the trail. She looked at the affected areas. Jotaro's shaking stopped completely, if didn't that would mean that he's still at square one.

"Jotaro…" Kinuko said as she notices the tattoo on his arm, "XJ291?" she asked confused. As she touched the tattoo, some strange memory kicked in.

**(Memory)**

"So, you're Jotaro." a black robed man said to an enraged young Jotaro, "I hope that you don't mind if I take your sister. She and I have a lot of business to do."

The young Jotaro was enraged, "Is this why you killed my parents? So you can kidnap my sister?!"

"That's right, and she must follow her destiny, obediently."

This enrages Jotaro as he rushed forward to punch the man, but instead, he was punched in the stomach.

"Foolish Jotaro. You'll never be able to kill me or save your sister. Like your sister and another, you're the ones who can awaken your special Kekkei Genkai. If you wish to save her, you must obtain ultimate power from the Sharigan and Byakugan and create a stronger version of the Sharigan and use it to its full potential. However, to obtain the full value of the new power you possess, there is a catch…"

**(End Memory)**

Kinuko rubbed her head afterwards ignoring the memory,_"Even when I work as hard as I can and feel like I've actually acquired skills it still feels like it's nowhere enough,"_ Kinuko thought feeling pathetic. She heard rustling and immediately stiffened. "_Please let it be a squirrel or forest animal_," she thought in fear.

Kinuko peaked out of the corner of the tiny entrance. She saw a small squirrel and it was coming but she pulled out a kunai from her holster and threw it in front of the squirrel. She sighed in relief but she was trying hard not to fall asleep.

"Some lookout…you're half-asleep." she heard a low voice drawl.

She turned around and saw the creepy team from The Hidden Sound Village.

"But at least you don't have to keep watch anymore. What's the point since we already found you? Wake Jotaro up. We want to fight him." he commanded.

"What do you want here? I mean, what do you really want? I know that someone is calling the shots from the shadows." she said surprising the ninjas. "What's that strange bruise on the back of Jotaro's neck? You're behind this too aren't you? And now you want to fight him when he can't even defend himself?"

"What in the world could he be thinking?" the man with the furry shell back said more to himself.

"I can't stand still after hearing you talk to us like that. I'll kill you and Jotaro," the spiky haired boy said.

"Wait Zaku." the man said.

"Huh? Why?" the boy named Zaku said.

"Step back," he ordered.

"What are you going to do, Dosu?" Zaku asked.

The man named Dosu kneeled to the ground.

"The color of this soil literally states that it's been recently dug up and this isn't the grass that this forest normally grows. If you're going to set up a trap, there's no point unless it's actually hidden."

Kinuko's eyes widened in fear.

"Hah! You're just a joke. You threw that kunai out so that squirrel won't trigger your trap." Zaku said.

"Now, we can kill her." Dosu said.

The three sound ninja jumped in the air towards her as Kinuko smirked and cut a hidden line. A large log appeared in the air.

"She set up traps from above too!" Dosu shouted. "Nice try little girl!" Dosu caught the large log and snapped it in half surprising Kinuko, "Clearly you have no talent as a ninja. Someone like you should have made a little more effort, don't you think?"

Kinuko got up steadily her body was wracked with tiredness of a sleepless night and partial day. She only got two to three hours of sleep. She could hear my joints popping and cracking in protest.

_"I need to try my best to protect Jotaro."_ she thought getting into a fighting stance.

Zaku rushed her from a mid-range distance. Kinuko pulled out a few kunai and shuriken. She threw them in a quick succession to test what he'd do. It was a mistake because he sent it back with air currents from his arms. She covered her face as they came flying back at her.

"Ugh!" _"Aerial attacks are out of the question, he'll just send them back to me. What can I use...?" _Kinuko pulled out a poison laced tanto from above her medic pouch. _"I'll have try close-range."_

Kinuko began to run at Zaku and her speed surprised him. She appeared behind him. He turned around and blasted his airways. Kinuko covered her face for protection as she dodged to the other side of him quickly. She got closer as he tried again with the same Jutsu. He stepped back because this time Kinuko used a Substitution Jutsu. Kinuko felt she actually had a good chance until a hand caught her throat. Zaku had caught her.

"Let me go!" she said.

"It seems that you're more annoying than we thought." Zaku said, "But unfortunately, it ends here."

"Good job Zaku! Now Kin, take "good care" of Jotaro, if you would be so kind." Dosu said.

"Don't need to ask me twice." Kin smirked as she started walking towards Jotaro.

Kinuko was struggling to get out of Zaku's grip and help Jotaro, but Zaku's grip was too strong.

_"Damnit! I…I couldn't save my own…my own comrade!"_ she thought, _"Though Jotaro can be a harsh asshole sometimes, that doesn't mean that I can't help him as a Shinobi comrade. Besides, I don't even know him enough to judge him so what gives me the right to just watch him die? Kiba…Akamaru…Shino…Jotaro…my friends…what kind of person and friend would I be if I can't even be there for them. Right now, Jotaro must be suffering from that curse mark, and I can't even help him. But no more…my parents told me to be kind to others, and most importantly, to take care of my brother. I'm going to protect everyone, especially Jotaro and my brother." _Kinuko then started to cry as she cursed herself for being so useless.

**Meanwhile…**

In Jotaro's mind, he's holding onto a large pillar that stretches far into the sky.

"Awake at last are we?" a voice said.

Jotaro looks around the vast dark sea, "Where am I?" he asked.

"Well…you're in a mind dimension that stretches far within you chakra. But I won't bother explaining, because I doubt you would understand. So for now, let's just say you're having a bad dream."

"Who are you?" Jotaro asked.

"Good question! Not the right one."

Jotaro turns to see a golden snake wrapped around his neck.

"The right question would be: Who are you?" the golden snake said.

"I…"

The snake laughed, "Well start climbing then "I". However, I would be careful. I trust I need not tell you what would happen should you fall."

Jotaro was hesitant but he started climbing the pillar.

"That's it. Up you go. Yes, there is a reason why you must continue to climb, isn't there?" the snake asked. "You may have forgotten why, but the flame inside you still burns. That's it. Keep going Jotaro."

**Deep in the dream…**

Jotaro found himself inside a house he recognizes.

"Th-This is my home…" he said.

He went into the house and saw the bodies of a man and a woman.

"MOM! DAD!" He rushed towards the two as he saw his father dead but his mother barely alive. "Who could have done this?"

"Mother! Father!" Jotaro turned around to see a younger version of himself rush towards his parents, "Mother! Father! Please wake up!"

"J-Jotaro…" his mother called out barely breathing.

"M-Mother…where's Mihoko?" he asked.

"I-I'm sorry, but…someone's taken her…" she said, "Jotaro…please…"

"Don't talk mother. Save your strength!" Jotaro said trying to cover the large cut wound she had.

"Please…save your…sister…" Jotaro's mother touched his face and smiled, "Be…safe…" she breathed her last breath.

The real Jotaro who watched only felt full regret as the young one suddenly turned to him.

"But you couldn't do it could you?" young Jotaro asked the older one.

"What?"

"You couldn't save your own sister, because you weren't strong enough." he suddenly grabbed his eye and peeled off the skin to reveal Orochimaru's eye, "But I could give you so much more…"

**Back at the Large Pillar…**

Jotaro woke up from the nightmare.

"That man who kidnapped you sister said that he would use her for his own purposes," the snake said. "Are you satisfied with her being a cog in his machine? Or you could just curl up and die right here."

Jotaro held his head, "Shut up…" he said.

"Hm? What's the matter? Have I angered you?"

"Not…you…"

"Not me?"

"The crying…"

"Crying? Here? There is nothing to here but the sound of my voice."

Jotaro suddenly became angry as he instantly started climbing the pillar at fast speed, "STOP IT!"

**With Kinuko…**

Kinuko was still crying while Kin drew closer to Jotaro.

"Hm…it's about time that I finished you off girl." Zaku said.

Suddenly, he was hit in the face by a fist as Kinuko's body was caught by friendly arms. Kinuko opened her eyes to see Jotaro awake, but something was different. He seemed much darker and he had many designs running down one half of his body and then his Ciralian was activated. He kind of scared her because of the hatred in his eyes.

"J-Jotaro…what's wrong with your body?" she asked in fear.

"No need to worry not only that I feel power overflowing within me... I feel a thousand times better. He gave it to me. I finally understand it. I am an avenger. Even if I go down the path of evil I must gain power to save my sister," he then said darkly, "Now... who was the one that hurt you. And who was it that made you cry?"

"Pft that would be me." Zaku replied getting up.

Jotaro gave Zaku a cold and frightening look.

"Jotaro, what are you...," Kinuko trailed off.

His chakra started to swirl as it began to form around him and become purple. The dark designs that were mostly commas started to erode on the other half of his face.

"His chakra is too large!" Dosu said.

"Dosu no need to be afraid of this half dead freak!" Zaku shouted.

"No Zaku!"

"Zankukyokuha!"

The slicing air gusts were huge.

"Ha, I blew him away," he chuckled.

"Blew who away?" Jotaro said viciously.

He then back handed Zaku.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

The multiple fire balls that contained shuriken came after Zaku. He tried to blast them away but he couldn't. Then Jotaro dashed behind him grabbing both of his arms.

"Ugh," Zaku said.

A malicious smirk crossed his lips.

"Hehe... so you're proud of these arms aren't yours? You used these to hurt Kinuko didn't you?"

Suddenly, the XJ291 tattoo began to glow as suddenly something frightining happened. Two more arms grew on Jotaro's back as it grabbed a spot on Zaku's arms.

Kinuko stood up and watched as he placed his foot between his shoulder blades. Everything was red at that point in time.

_Snap_

"Ah!" Zaku cried.

"Now, I hope you entertain me more," Jotaro said viciously as he walked towards Dosu.

"N-Now…is that really…?" Kinuko couldn't believe that who she saw was Jotaro. She ran up to him and she grabbed him underneath the arms and pulled him back. "NO! STOP!"

Jotaro turned to Kinuko with murderous eyes.

"Pl-Please…" Kinuko whispered.

Jotaro's murderous look disappeared when he saw Kinuko crying.

"Don't kill anyone…please…for my sake…please stop…" she whispered.

"Kinuko…" Jotaro murmur.

Jotaro's black designs began to seep back into his mark and the extra arms disappeared. He fell back into her arms as Kinuko gently set him against the ground.

"You are strong," Dosu said, "We can't defeat you at this time, Jotaro. Here's a gift to you... Please let us leave," he slid the scroll to us.

He made an effort to pick up Zaku.

"Wait! I have a question. Why does your leader want to kill Jotaro?"

"I don't know. I don't know why our leader what the person he bestowed such power dead. Nor do I know how Jotaro survived the Curse Mark. Sorry, kid."

Dosu up Zaku and left with Kin following.

Jotaro stared at his hand and arms in fear, "Wh-What the hell am I?"

Kinuko watched him in worry, "Jotaro…"

* * *

**To Be Continued…**

**_Author's Note: Yeah…I'm going to have nightmares tonight. Hope you don't have any either. Give Kinuko some credit, she did try her best._**

**_~Stay True~_**

**_Next Time: Naruto finally wakes up and Sasuke already got his hands on a Heaven's scroll. But they meet Kabuto again as he helps them get the Earth's Scroll._**


	31. Who Fights Who Rosters

**Who Fights Who Rosters**

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! I need to say that it's still a blast writing this story and having such loyal fans and author brothers and sisters. As much as I like to show Squad Seven meeting Kabuto again, I decided to do a time skip to the second part of the Chūnin Exams: the Preliminaries I guess…Anyways, I'm going to list my plan on who fights who.**

_(First Part)_

**First Match: Jotaro Ozawa vs. Yoroi Akado**

I know that you want it to be Naruto instead, but I want the fight against Naruto and Jotaro to be epic. Besides, I think that Jotaro would beat Naruto in this part. No offence,Naruto isn't strong enough quite yet.

**Second Match: Zaku Abumi vs. Shino Aburame**

For the fights related to the canon, I'm going to skip them since most of you know how they go.

**Third Match: Sasuke Uchiha vs. OC **

You, my readers, can give me one. List name, personality, and ability and I'll pick.

**Fourth Match: Misumi Tsuriga vs. Kankuro**

Same rule applies here for canon fights.

* * *

_(Second Part)_

**Fifth Match: Naruto Uzumaki vs. Ino Yamanaka**

Surprised? Well you should be. I know this seems like an awkward match up, but hear me out: What if Ino used the Mind Transfer Jutsu on Naruto and encounters Nine-Tails? That would be interesting.

**Sixth Match: Sakura Haruno vs. Narahiko Ui**

In this story, Sakura, Ino AND Narahiko met as children so that is interesting too.

**Seventh Match: Tenten vs. Temari**

Canon rule still in effect.

**Eighth Match: Shikamaru Nara vs. Kin Tsuchi**

Canon rule again.

**Ninth Match: Kiba Inuzuka vs. Okura Kawamata**

An interesting matchup.

* * *

_(Third Part)_

**Tenth Match: Hinata Hyuga vs. Neji Hyuga**

I have plans for this fight so the Canon rule doesn't apply here.

**Eleventh Match: Lee vs. Gaara**

Canon rule in effect.

**Twelveth Match: Chouji Akamichi vs. Dosu Kinuta**

You know the Canon rule don't you?

**Thirteenth Match: Kinuko Kitao vs. Yoshihashi Taguchi**

Just an interesting matchup in my opinion.

* * *

**Author's Note: Alright, there's the rosters I plan. I hope that you are looking forward to it while I have a lot of work on my hands. I'm going to divide these fights into three parts. **

**Also, I have an announcement: Since most of you helped me out with "Seriously Guest," I'm going to make one of you a character in this story. All you need to do is give me you "Naruto" name, personality, and special ability. Be as creative as you want to be. I can't wait to get started on this (laughs) this is going to be fun!**


	32. The Preliminary Matches 1-4

**_Author's Note: I don't know how to react to all of your character suggestions. I just…don't know. You know…about that only having one of your OC characters chosen. F*ck it! I'm choosing all of the OC characters from _****_FreyaClaire, Zigmas, Ayukazi with Kitty, and Prototype Demon V2_****_. Enjoy what's finally come: the Chūnin Exams._**

**The Preliminary Matches 1-4**

Sakura was still waiting by Naruto's unconscious body for Hinata and Sasuke.

_"Those two are really taking a while…"_ she thought.

That was when Hinata and Sasuke returned with big smiles on their faces.

"Ha-ha! We did it Sakura!" Sasuke shouted.

He and Hinata showed Sakura the two scrolls they've obtained.

"Yeah! We mopped the forest floor with the ninjas we fought!" Hinata said proudly. She then reaches Naruto's body and kneeled down, "Naruto's still not awake?"

"No…but I hope he will soon." Sakura said.

Hinata then cuddled Naruto in her arms while his face is touching her breasts. This makes Sasuke and Sakura flinch as they knew what would happen next.

"Well, let's take Naruto to the tower then." Hinata said.

_"Wh-What's that smell?"_ Naruto thought as he sniffed, _"Warm and sweet…Milk? Is there a milk carton in front of me?"_ Naruto opened his eyes as he noticed his head pressed against Hinata's breasts. His face truly defined the true meaning of red as he couldn't contain it. Naruto nose bleed so much that the blood formed a large face resembling Hinata.

"AAAHHHH! NARUTO!" Hinata shout in panick.

"Dabadabadabadaba…" Naruto mumbled knocked out.

Sakura and Sasuke started to burst out laughing as they adopted a facial expression of a capitalized "X" followed by a capitalized "D": XD.

**After Naruto Recovered, At the Tower…**

Squad Seven was standing in line in rows one above and one below. Sarutobi was standing in front of them. The Chūnin arena had a typical shinobi hand sign facing everyone. It had railings around the huge dome like room.

"Congratulations for passing the second test!" Sarutobi said.

Sakura looked around. It seems that all of Rookie 12 is here; the Sand Siblings, Gai's squad, Squad Dosu, and Kabuto's Genin Team were there.

"Hello everyone. My name is Hayate," a Jonin shinobi coughed. He seems a bit sick, "There is one thing we must do before the third and main event. We must have preliminaries. It'll decide who's in the main event."

"What? A preliminary?!" Shikamaru demanded.

"Yes, we have too many people. We are going to cut it down by at least half. We're going to start right now, so if anyone has cold feet step up."

"What?! Right now?!" Kiba shouted in exasperation.

"I'm going to quit," Kabuto said.

That doesn't make any sense. He's taken this exam for how many times... six times. That doesn't make any sense at all. He shouldn't give up.

"You're Kabuto Yakushi, right? Alright you can leave now. Also this is an individual battle. Choose based upon your own judgment."

"Kabuto, why are you quitting?" Hinata asked.

"I'm sorry Hinata but my body is all beat up. I still can't hear out of my left ear from the first test. I just..."

Kabuto exchanged a few words between his teammates and left. Hinata looked genuinely upset by this.

**With Kinuko…**

A moment of silence passed and then Kinuko heard a grunt of pain. She looked over at Jotaro and he was clutching his shoulder near his neck.

"Jotaro," she said.

"What?" he grunted.

"You should probably quit. You won't be able to fight like that."

"Just give me more willow bark," he said a bit demandingly.

"A please would be nice and I'm not giving it to you. As your teammate I won't let you compete."

Kinuko was going to raise her hand, but Jotaro grabbed her fingers. She looked at him and saw a scowl furrow his brows.

"Don't. I'm not doing this to become Chūnin, I'm doing it to test myself, to see if I'm strong or not. There are strong guys here and if you take that away from me I won't forgive even _you_."

"Hey, stop acting all cool Jotaro!" Kiba shouted, "Kinuko is actually worried about-"

"I want to fight you too, Kiba."

Kinuko slipped her fingers out of his grasp and pulled out what's left of the willow bark. Jotaro took it and chewed it.

"Thank you."

She nodded slightly.

"Alright," Hayate said, "Let's begin the preliminaries. Like I said before this a one on one fight. Treat it like an actual confrontation. There are 26 of you so there will be 13 matches. The winner advances to the finals. There are basically no rules. The fight continues until one of you dies, knocked out or admits defeat. But when I decide the winner that the winner has clearly been established um since we don't want to pointlessly increase the amount of corpses, I'll jump in and stop things. This electronic scoreboard will show the match-ups for each battle. Now let's announce the two names of the first fight."

* * *

**"Jotaro Ozawa vs. Yoroi Akando,"**

Hayate said, "Will both of you please step forward. The rest of you go up to the stands and watch the match."

Everyone except Jotaro and Yoroi went up towards the stands. A blond-haired girl with a long ponytail walked past him. This girl whore a lace overlay top with a blue light jacket with a knee-long red skirt and brown boots. As she walked by she whispered something in Jotaro's ear.

"What?" Jotaro asked.

But the girl kept walking.

Jotaro and Yoroi faced across each and agreed they were ready. Kinuko felt extremely nervous for her teammate. The guy he's going to face off is a strong opponent and on a negative side, Jotaro is still injured.

Naruto sat between the rails and Kinuko sat next to him.

"Do you think he'll be okay Naruto?" she asked.

"Well…m-maybe…I-I'm not sure…"

"Don't worry, Kinuko," Kurenai-Sensei smirked as she whispered to Kinuko, "I noticed "it" too on Jotaro. It activates when he uses his chakra even the natural chakra that people emit. If left unchecked it will eat him from the inside out in a few hours. I'll seal it off after this match."

"And…BEGIN!" Hayate shouted.

Yoroi rushed towards Jotaro and tried to punch him, but Jotaro dodged, grabbed the arm and flipped Yoroi over pinning him down.

"Is that all you've got?" Jotaro smirked.

Yoroi only laughed as he said, "Fortunately for me, no. I've got a trick up my sleeve." Suddenly, a blue aura surrounded Yoroi's hand as he grabbed Jotaro's arm.

Jotaro, at that instant, felt weak as Yoroi slammed his stomach causing him to lose grip of his opponent. Yoroi took this chance to grab Jotaro by the throat as the blue aura surrounded his hand again.

"M-My chakra…what are you doing?" Jotaro asked feeling weak.

Yoroi chuckled, "My special ability is that I can suck chakra out of any living being. Once you're out of chakra, this match will be mine."

Jotaro then kicked him away as he panted hard. He's almost out of chakra as he tried to figure out how to get around a chakra sucking obstacle.

"Jotaro! Are you really Jotaro Ozowa?! Is that the best you can do?! The big dick of the century wouldn't let someone like this overpower him like that!" Hinata shouted at him.

Jotaro looked at the Hyuga girl with wide eyes. Then Yoroi rushed at him and Jotaro kicked him in the jaw. It sent him high in the air. Jotaro then jumped high in the air and knee kicked Yoroi in the back and then curled his fists together and slammed him sending him straight towards the ground. Jotaro flew back down faster that Yoroi and finally punched the landing Yoroi on the back as the sound of bones breaking her heard. Jotaro threw Yoroi's unconscious body to the ground as Hayate checked the body. Yoroi is still alive but his spine is broken.

"The winner is Jotaro Ozawa!" Hayate announced.

"Now I see why your so weak: Your partially black." Jotaro said.

**(Static)**

A black man looks at Lion C. Simmonds with a hate glare.

Lion: I was kidding...

**(Static)**

Kakashi and Kurenai were shocked at Jotaro's power.

_"Whoa…he broke someone's spine with just a fist…Jotaro's is strong no doubt."_ Kakashi thought.

Jotaro still clenched his neck, "_Well…at least the Curse Mark didn't react."_

That was when Kurenai appeared behind him and placed her hand on his shoulder, "Good job Jotaro. You've managed to suppress the Curse Mark, but if you haven't I would have intervened."

Jotaro chuckled as he then remembered Naruto's clear words.

**(Flashback)**

"Hey Jotaro. You're not hurt are you? Crybaby!" Naruto said as he opened his eyes to reveal his crimson red color.

Jotaro was surprised that the same Naruto he used to pick on had the courage to say that.

"Look at you," Naruto continued, "Shaking in fear and frozen like a frighten rabbit. Hinata was right; you can't be the Jotaro I know."

**(End Flashback)**

"That look he gave me…Naruto will truly test my skills to the fullest." Jotaro then turned to Naruto, "Hey Orphan Boy!"

Naruto then quirked up.

"You'd best not loss, because you're one of the ones I want to fight the most!" he said.

Naruto then felt a little hurt but happy at the same time. He couldn't help but smile because this is the first time someone like Jotaro said anything acknowledging him.

"Anyways Jotaro, come with me. We need to seal up that mark of yours," Kurenai whispered.

"But Kurenai, I want to see everyone else fight." Jotaro protested.

"You may want to see the other matches, but I can't risk you getting taken over by that Curse Mark."

Jotaro was a little hesitant but he nodded as Kurenai took him away.

"Dumbass," Hinata muttered under my breath.

* * *

**"Shino Aburame vs. Zaku Abumi,"** the screen read.

"Shino... I hope he does okay." Hinata said realizing Shino's up next. "Good luck Shino!" she called out to him.

He just looked up at the Hyuga briefly to acknowledge he heard her.

_"That's Shino alright; he hasn't changed a bit from the academy days."_ Hinata thought

"Hey K-Kinuko," Naruto said, "Wh-What was that weird thing on J-Jotaro's neck. I heard K-Kurenai say what it will do to him, but sh-she never said what it was."

"It's a type of seal." Kinuko answered, "I don't know what it's called specifically."

"Oh," he said.

"So," Kinuko said trying to move the conversation to a more lighthearted subject, "Who do you think will win?"

"I-I don't know but th-that guy's arms are in pretty b-bad shape." Naruto said pointing to Zaku.

"Yeah. He's gonna' lose."

"Yeah, I don't see Sh-Shino losing. I don't understand why th-that guy is fighting in that c-condition."

"Alright," Hayate said, "Begin."

"You're going to lose. Forfeit." Shino advised.

"I can do this!" he said trying to move his nearly broken arms.

Zaku rushed him and tried to move his arms effectively, but they weren't doing so well, as I predicted. Shino blocked both arms from smacking him on each side of the head.

"Zakuha!"

Shino was blasted across from him.

"Shino!" Hinata shouted in fear for him.

"I still don't get why you like him; he's creepy." Sasuke said.

"Don't be rude," Hinata said smacking him lightly on the arm.

"Zakuha!" he said blasting with his arms.

But his attack failed to work. Blood splattered and body parts flew from each arm. Hinata dodged as a hand smacked the wall. She felt blood that didn't belong to her sprayed all over her arms and some on her face. She started to brush it off of her face. She felt a stray finger seeping out bugs in her hair.

"Ick!" Hinata screamed flinging it.

Sasuke began to laugh at her along with others. Hinata began to search her hair and the rest of her body for projectile body parts.

"Is it all gone?" she asked him.

Hinata was tempted to palm strike Sasuke to shut him up. Instead she did the much more tortuous thing: She flung the blood that was in my hair at him. It hit him square in the face. His laughing ceased and a look of obnoxious anger spread across his face. It was Hinata's turn to laugh now. We then got into this petty little altercation. We then stopped when we heard the words from Hayate.

"The winner is Shino Aburame."

Hinata immediately stopped and shouted in victory.

"Good job, Shino!"

He smirked and started going back up to the upper levels with his team. Zaku however was being put on a stretcher his arms.

* * *

**"Sasuke Uchiha vs. Jordan Smith,"** the board read.

Sasuke then went down to the battle floor along with the girl named Jordan.

"Go Sasuke! Show that girl whose boss!" Hinata cheered.

"Are both of you ready?" Hayate asked.

Both of them nodded.

"And…BEGIN!"

Sasuke and Jordan rushed towards each other and engaged in an intense close combat scenario. Neither side was giving an inch.

After they pushed each other back, Sasuke performed handsigns. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu," Sasuke shot a fireball at Jordan; however, she dodged it and performed handsigns of her own.

"Dragon Style: Dragon Pulse Jutsu," Jordan shout out a long chain of blue fire at Sasuke.

Sasuke dodges and fling three shurikens at her. Jordan dodges but finds that the shurikens were rigged with smoke pellets. She couldn't see anything as she was suddenly hit on the back of the head. She looked around to find her opponent but it was to no avail until she performed handsigns, "Wind Style: Defog Jutsu!"

Chakra then rushed around as the smoke cleared revealing Sasuke performing new handsigns. "Now let's see how you did it again…like this?" _"Dragon Style: Dragon Pulse Jutsu!"_

Sasuke shot out the same blue fire at Jordan as she dodges it. Jordan was amazed that Sasuke learned this in an instant, but when she saw Sasuke's Sharigan activated, she knew.

_"So that's the famous Sharigan I've heard about. You were able to copy my move in an instant." _Jordan thought.

That was when a mysterious voice rang in her head, _"Jordan, that's enough. I have now seen the Uchiha's ability now. All that's left is to see his teammates fight. Return to me at once, we've got serious planning to do."_

_"Yes sir!"_ Jordan then raised her hand, "I, Jordan Smith, forfeit the match."

Everyone was shocked at this. She was fighting so well, why would she forfeit now?

"Very well then, the winner is Sasuke Uchiha." Hayate announced.

"ALRIGHT SASUKE!" Hinata shouted.

"SASUKE WON! HE WON!" Sakura shouted.

Jordan started to walk away but Sasuke stop her, "Why did you forfeit the match? You were doing so well against me." he asked.

Jordan giggled as she answered, "Well, all I wanted to see is how powerful you and your friends are. I've seen everything now, besides, you want to be a Chūnin. I'm only getting in the way. Becoming a Chūnin isn't what I want though, but we'll fight for real some other time, how's that?" she said as she walked off.

_"That girl…"_ Sasuke thought as he shook off the thought and returned to the stands.

* * *

**"Misumi Tsurugi vs. Kankuro,"** the board read.

Kiba then grabbed Kinuko by her short hair.

"Ow," she said in more of surprise.

"Hey," Kurenai-sensei said.

"Hi," Kinuko said batting away Kiba's hand away.

"What are you two doing?" Kurenai-sensei asked quirking his visible brow.

"Nothing," Kinuko said fixing her hair back to where it was and out of her face.

"She called me a mutt-lover," Kiba said annoyed.

"Do you two want to hear about Jotaro's condition or not?"

"Yes," Kiba and Kinuko said in unison.

"He's in the hospital sleeping peacefully."

Kinuko nodded. Kiba instantly calmed down. They turned to see Misumi grab Kankuro in a weird hold.

_"No way…the human body isn't supposed to bend in that way unless you're made of rubber. What's going on?"_ Kinuko thought.

"My body has been altered to fit in any tight space. Now give up or I'll snap your neck."

"Like that'll ever happen," Kankuro smirked.

_Snap._

His body fell limp. Kinuko's eyes widened, _"What a dumbass. If he just gave up he wouldn't have died or at the very best become paralyzed."_ She looked at his siblings they must be heartbroken. They weren't especially the redhead. How cruel!

"I told you," Misumi said.

"My turn," Kankuro said.

The crushed Kankuro ended up being a puppet. Kankuro turned the tables on Misumi and began squeezing him.

"If I break your bones you'll be even softer, right?"

"W-Wait! Stop! I give up!" Misumi shouted.

"The winner is Kankuro." Hayate announced.

"That's cheating," Hinata said, "It's a one-on-one fight and he's doing two-on-one with a doll."

"Hinata that's a puppet." Sakura said, "Not a doll. It's like any other tool we use like a shuriken or kunai. Puppets are popular for people from the Hidden Sand Village to use. It works using chakra to control the strings and the strings control the puppet. It's like a regular puppeteer except... enhanced and made for combat."

"Oh," Hinata said slowly, "Why aren't there any puppeteers in the Leaf Village?"

"I don't know. You only ever see them in the Land of Sand maybe it's just something only they do," Sakura said.

"Hmm," Hinata mused, "There are so many weirdoes here."

"Don't be rude," Sakura said.

**"Naruto Uzumaki vs. Ino Yamanaka,"** the board said.

"What?" Sakura said with her eyes widening.

"What?" Ino asked.

"Wh-What?" Naruto asked.

"You're up next Naruto," Kakashi-sensei said. "It's time to show all of us what you've got."

* * *

**_To Be Continued…_**

**_Author's Note: I hope you liked the first part of the Chūnin Exams. Please review and don't be too harsh about Naruto's match, because it's something no one else has thought of._**

**_~Stay True~_**

**_Next Time: Naruto fights against Ino, Sakura's rival. And Sakura fights against Narahiko, her best friend. As the two fights goes on, memories of Ino and Sakura rush through Narahiko's mind as he remembers the time he met his first true friends._**


End file.
